Meta apologises for flood of graphic violence on Instagram

Meta has issued an apology after Instagram users were bombarded with violent, disturbing footage on their Reels feeds, following what seems to be a malfunction in the platform's algorithm (via The Guardian).

From animal abuse to footage of real-life deaths, the videos flooded feeds, leaving users alarmed. Many took to Reddit to share their experiences, describing their Reels as filled with scenes of people dying, gruesome accidents, and horrifying violence, including a man being crushed by an elephant and another being dismembered by a helicopter.

While Meta's algorithm aims to curate relevant and engaging content, this glitch created a nightmare for users, with many questioning whether the platform had gone rogue. Later, a Meta spokesperson confirmed that the issue had been fixed, assuring that the mistake was not connected to recent changes in content moderation policies.