what is the story
A recent court filing in a landmark social media addiction trial in the United States has revealed that nearly one in five teenagers ages 13 to 15 have viewed unwanted nude content on Instagram. The document, which was made public on Friday, included parts of a March 2025 statement from Adam Mosseri, head of the photo-sharing platform.
Meta Internal Documents Reveal Focus on Acquiring Teen Users
The lawsuit has also put Meta, Instagram’s parent company, under the microscope for its alleged focus on attracting young users. An internal document from January 20, 2021 revealed that a Meta researcher suggested targeting teenagers and young adults due to their influence within households. The memo said: “If we seek to acquire (and retain) new users, we must recognize the influence of a teenager within the home to help achieve this.”
Lawsuits against Meta highlight mental health crisis among minors
Meta is facing a series of lawsuits from world leaders, accusing the company of creating products that harm young users. In the United States alone, thousands of federal and state lawsuits accuse Meta of designing addictive products and contributing to a mental health crisis among minors. The claims come amid growing concerns about the impact of social media on young people’s wellbeing.
Disturbing content on the platform raises concerns
In response to concerns about explicit content, Meta has said the statistic on explicit images came from a 2021 survey of Instagram users about their experiences on the platform. Mosseri’s statement also revealed that around 8% of users in the 13-15 age group had “seen someone harm themselves or threaten to harm themselves on Instagram.”
Meta will prohibit explicit content for users under 18 years of age
In 2025, Meta announced plans to remove images and videos containing nudity or explicit sexual activity for teenage users. This policy would also apply to AI-generated content, with exceptions considered for medical and educational purposes. “We’re proud of the progress we’ve made and we’re always working to do better,” said Meta spokesman Andy Stone.
