MetaMeta has confirmed a massive issue that caused Instagram Reels users to be flooded with violent and sexual videos.
Meta’s TikTok competitor, Instagram Reels, is among the most popular alternative platforms for short-form video content.
Instagram has even attempted to lure TikTok creators over to the platform with massive bonuses and is testing a new feature to make scrolling through Reels a better experience.
On February 26, 2025, users began reporting an influx of violent and sexual videos being shared on the platform, leading Meta to confirm the issue.
Meta apologizes for Instagram Reels content error
In a statement shared with CNBC, Meta apologized for the Instagram Reels issue that resulted in users reporting a flood of violent and graphic content.
“We have fixed an error that caused some users to see content in their Instagram Reels feed that should not have been recommended. We apologize for the mistake,” they said.
Users across social media reported that even with Instagram’s “Sensitive Content Control” enabled to its highest setting, they still saw the disturbing content.
via Cute Digital MediaAhead of the apology, users flooded Reddit with threads, describing their issues with reports of constant videos of street fights, murder, gore accidents, and sexual content.
Meta didn’t tell CNBC exactly what the error was that caused the content to make its way to people’s feeds, but according to the company’s guidelines, some of it shouldn’t have been on the platform in the first place.
“To protect users from such content, we remove the most graphic content and add warning labels to other graphic content so that people are aware it may be sensitive or disturbing before they click through. We may also restrict the ability for users under 18 to view such content (or “age-gate” the content),” it reads.
