A new court document has revealed concerns about what teenagers are seeing on social media, especially on Instagram, according to a report by Reuters.
Reuters says that nearly 1 in 5 users aged 13 to 15 told the company they had seen nudity or sexual images on Instagram that they did not want to see. This information came from a survey mentioned in a legal filing connected to a federal lawsuit in California.
The document includes parts of a March 2025 interview (deposition) with Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram. Reuters reports that Mosseri said the company does not usually share results from internal surveys and noted that self-reported surveys can sometimes be unreliable.
A spokesperson for Meta explained that the survey was carried out in 2021 and asked users about their experiences on the platform, rather than reviewing actual posts.
Meta, which also owns Facebook, is currently facing criticism and lawsuits from various groups and governments. Reuters says thousands of legal cases in the United States claim the company’s platforms are designed in ways that can be addictive and may contribute to mental-health problems among young users.
According to Reuters, about 8% of teenagers in the same age group also said they had seen posts where someone talked about harming themselves or threatening to do so.
Mosseri explained that many of the explicit images were shared through private messages between users. Reuters reports that he said the company must balance safety checks with people’s privacy, because many users do not want their private conversations monitored.
Meta said in late 2025 that it would begin removing images and videos that show nudity or sexual activity — including content created using artificial intelligence — while still allowing some material for medical or educational reasons. Reuters notes that the company says it is continuing to improve safety measures for teens.
Reuters’ reporting highlights a bigger global issue: how to protect young people online without violating personal privacy. Social media companies are under pressure to make platforms safer, but they also face criticism if they monitor users too closely.
This situation shows the difficult balance tech companies must manage — keeping harmful content away from teenagers while respecting private communication. As governments, parents, and schools pay more attention to children’s digital lives, cases like this could shape stricter rules for social media in the future.
In simple terms, Reuters’ findings suggest that the conversation is no longer just about technology — it is about how society wants the internet to look for the next generation.
Credit: Reuters