Subhechcha Ganguly 
Meta has issued an apology after a glitch caused violent and graphic videos to appear in users’ Instagram Reels feeds. The company confirmed that the issue has been resolved but did not disclose how many users were impacted or the cause of the error. Several users complained about encountering inappropriate content despite having enabled the ‘sensitive content control’ setting, which is designed to filter out such videos. Meta’s spokesperson stated, “We have fixed an error that caused some users to see content in their Instagram Reels feed that should not have been recommended,” and expressed regret for the mistake.
This incident follows recent criticism of Meta’s content moderation practices, including the decision to end its U.S. fact-checking program across its platforms—Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Meta, which has a combined user base of over three billion, is increasingly relying on automated tools for content moderation, a shift that has raised concerns about the effectiveness of its safety measures. The company has faced backlash in the past for mishandling violent content, misinformation, and harmful trends, particularly in the context of events like the Myanmar genocide and the promotion of eating disorder-related material to teenagers.
