Dating apps Bumble and Tinder parent company Match Group have said that they have suspended advertising on Instagram after some of their ads appeared next to explicit and child-sexualizing content in Reels, a report said.
According to the Wall Street Journal, its investigation discovered that Instagram surfaced “served jarring doses of salacious content to those test accounts, including risqué footage of children as well as overtly sexual adult videos” alongside ads for major brands, which include Match, Bumble, Disney and Walmart.
The publication also said that “an ad for the dating app Bumble appeared between a video of someone stroking the face of a life-size latex doll and a video of a young girl with a digitally obscured face lifting up her shirt to expose her midriff.”
In another instance,” a Pizza Hut commercial followed a video of a man lying on a bed with his arm around what the caption said was a 10-year-old girl.”
Brands suspend advertising
Match Group told the publication that has halted advertising on Reels and stopped promoting its apps on any of Meta’s platforms since October. “We have no desire to pay Meta to market our brands to predators or place our ads anywhere near this content,” Match spokeswoman Justine Sacco was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Robbie McKay, a spokesman for Bumble, said it “would never intentionally advertise adjacent to inappropriate content,” and that the company is suspending its ads across Meta’s platforms.
What Meta has to say
Meta said the publication’s investigation “produced a manufactured experience that doesn’t represent what billions of users see.”
“Our systems are effective at reducing harmful content, and we’ve invested billions in safety, security and brand suitability solutions,” Samantha Stetson, a Meta vice president who handles relations with the advertising industry, was quoted as saying.
She added that the company invests heavily in reducing the “very low” prevalence of inappropriate content on Instagram.
According to the Wall Street Journal, its investigation discovered that Instagram surfaced “served jarring doses of salacious content to those test accounts, including risqué footage of children as well as overtly sexual adult videos” alongside ads for major brands, which include Match, Bumble, Disney and Walmart.
The publication also said that “an ad for the dating app Bumble appeared between a video of someone stroking the face of a life-size latex doll and a video of a young girl with a digitally obscured face lifting up her shirt to expose her midriff.”
In another instance,” a Pizza Hut commercial followed a video of a man lying on a bed with his arm around what the caption said was a 10-year-old girl.”
Brands suspend advertising
Match Group told the publication that has halted advertising on Reels and stopped promoting its apps on any of Meta’s platforms since October. “We have no desire to pay Meta to market our brands to predators or place our ads anywhere near this content,” Match spokeswoman Justine Sacco was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Robbie McKay, a spokesman for Bumble, said it “would never intentionally advertise adjacent to inappropriate content,” and that the company is suspending its ads across Meta’s platforms.
What Meta has to say
Meta said the publication’s investigation “produced a manufactured experience that doesn’t represent what billions of users see.”
“Our systems are effective at reducing harmful content, and we’ve invested billions in safety, security and brand suitability solutions,” Samantha Stetson, a Meta vice president who handles relations with the advertising industry, was quoted as saying.
She added that the company invests heavily in reducing the “very low” prevalence of inappropriate content on Instagram.
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