Recently, a 37-year-old man who wished to remain anonymous on the Instagram platform was repeatedly shown “suggested threads” in his Instagram feed. The promotional posts exclusively featured images of girls as young as 13 in school uniforms, often with their names visible. The images had originally been posted by parents to mark the start of their children’s new school year. Meta, the company behind Threads and Instagram, has since faced intense accusations of exploiting minors after its algorithm used these photographs of young schoolgirls in targeted advertisements.

One mother, whose Instagram account is set to private, discovered that her post had been automatically shared on the public Threads platform by Meta’s system.The ad featuring her 15-year-old daughter garnered nearly 7,000 views, with 90% of the viewers coming from non-followers—half of whom were men over 44.

Parents expressed outrage and disgust upon learning their private family moments had been repurposed for corporate advertising without their knowledge or consent.

“For me it was a picture of my daughter going to school. I had no idea... It’s absolutely disgusting. She is a minor,” the mother said. “Not for any money in the world would I let them use a girl dressed in a school uniform to get people onto their platform.”

The recipient of the ads also found the targeting suspicious, noting he was only shown images of schoolgirls but no schoolboys, suggesting “an aspect of sexualisation.” He stated that such content felt “deliberately provocative” and exploited the children and families involved.

In response, a Meta spokesperson stated that its systems are designed not to recommend content shared by teenagers. Rather, the company argued that the images do not violate its policies, as they were publicly shared by adult accounts and comply with community standards.

The controversy has drawn condemnation from child safety advocates. Crossbench peer and online rights campaigner Beeban Kidron called the practice “a new low even for Meta,” accusing the company of privileging profit over safety. She has called on U.K. regulator Ofcom to investigate whether the ads violate new online safety codes designed to prevent unknown adults from connecting with children.

The situation illustrates a notable gap between corporate data practices and broader ethical considerations. It shows how automated systems, whether intentional or unintentional, have the potential to misuse personal content, which may compromise the privacy of vulnerable groups. It is therefore important to develop stronger privacy safeguards and corporate accountability that values human dignity alongside technological engagement.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/sep/20/parents-outraged-meta-uses-photos-schoolgirls-ads-man