Meta has issued an apology after a technical glitch caused some Instagram users to see violent and graphic videos in their Reels feed.
“We have fixed an error that caused some users to see content in their Instagram Reels feed that should not have been recommended,” a Meta spokesperson stated. “We apologize for the mistake.”
On Tuesday, multiple Instagram users reported that their Reels feed was filled with videos depicting violence, including people being beaten or killed—some of which were labeled as “sensitive content” by the platform.
While Meta did not provide details on what caused the glitch, the incident comes as the company is actively pushing short-form video engagement. This effort coincides with growing uncertainty over TikTok’s future in the U.S., as the app faces a potential ban unless it secures a non-Chinese owner within the next month.
Instagram has been introducing TikTok-like features to attract users, including extended video time limits and a “tap to pause” function for Reels. Additionally, Meta is preparing to launch Edits, a video creation app similar to ByteDance’s CapCut, which is widely used by content creators.
The glitch also comes at a time when Meta is making significant changes to its content moderation policies. In January, the company announced that it would phase out fact checkers in favor of a community-driven “Community Notes” system and reduce automated content removal, prioritizing only extreme violations such as terrorism, child exploitation, and fraud.
While CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that these changes would result in Meta “catching less bad stuff,” he defended the decision as a move to promote free speech. However, Meta clarified that the error causing violent videos to appear in Reels was unrelated to its recent moderation policy updates.
