Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is facing backlash for its handling of LGBTQIA+ content on its platforms.
Journalist Taylor Lorenz first reported in her Substack publication User Mag that the platform had restricted LGBTQIA-related hashtags for months under its so-called “sensitive content policy.” The restrictions, which had been in place for months, were automatically applied to teen accounts, preventing them for searching hashtags like #gay, #lesbian, #trans, and #nonbinary. When teens attempted to search LGBTQIA+ hashtags, they encountered a blank screen accompanied by a prompt about Instagram’s content restrictions. According to User Mag, Meta only lifted the blocks after Lorenz contacted the company for comment.
“These search terms and hashtags were mistakenly restricted – an error that has now been fixed,” a Meta spokesperson tells Fast Company. “It’s important to us that all communities feel safe and welcome on Meta apps, and we do not consider LGBTQ+ terms to be sensitive under our policies.” Meta also told Lorenz that it was investigating the cause of the error but offered no timeline for the investigation or specifics on how it plans to prevent such mistakes in the future.
Last year, Meta rolled out a new wave of “sensitive content” restrictions across Instagram, Facebook, and Threads, specifically targeting teenage users. The move came in response to growing pressure from lawmakers and public concern over young people’s social media habits. “We will start to hide more types of content for teens on Instagram and Facebook,” the company announced at the time.
In September, Meta went further by mandating “Instagram Teen Accounts” for users under 18. These accounts automatically imposed stricter content limits, which could only be lifted with approval from a parent or guardian. According to Meta, the goal was to “limit the content [teenagers] see and help ensure their time is well spent.” However, these measures appear to have resulted in the widespread restriction of LGBTQIA+ content across Meta platforms, while heterosexual content continued to go unchecked.
Reports of LGBTQIA+ content censorship are nothing new. LGBTQIA creators have spoken out about being “shadow banned” for years, by which their posts are unofficially filtered out of any hashtags or the explore feed for days or even weeks. Now, amid attacks against LGBTQIA people online and through legislation, censorship of queer content on social media represents just one piece of a much larger, troubling picture.
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