Meta vows to fix Instagram's sensitive content glitch within 48 hours

New Delhi: Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has pledged swift action following a wave of user complaints about a sudden surge of violent and disturbing content flooding the app’s Reels section. 

The issue, which gained traction over the past week, has left users rattled and sparked a backlash across social media, with many demanding answers about how graphic videos and explicit material bypassed Instagram’s filters. 

On Thursday, Meta broke its silence, assuring users that a resolution is in the works.

The uproar began earlier this month when Instagram users reported an abrupt shift in their feeds. 

Reels, typically a hub for lighthearted clips and trending challenges, started serving up fight scenes, gore, and other sensitive content—even to accounts with no history of engaging with such material.

Meta acknowledged the problem in a statement released on Thursday, attributing the surge to a “technical issue” in its content recommendation system. “We’re aware that some users have seen an increase in sensitive content on Instagram Reels due to a glitch in our algorithms,” the statement read. “We’re working urgently to fix this and apologise for any distress caused.” 

The company promised that updates to restore normal filtering would roll out “within the next 24 to 48 hours,” though it offered no specifics on what triggered the malfunction.

User frustration has been palpable. Parents, in particular, have sounded the alarm, with some urging others to monitor their kids’ app usage more closely. “My 12-year-old saw a graphic fight video before I could stop it—this is unacceptable,” one mother wrote online. Advocacy groups like the National Center for Child Safety have seized the moment, renewing calls for stricter platform oversight. “This isn’t just a glitch; it’s a wake-up call about the risks of unchecked AI,” the group tweeted.