Talk Social 6th March 2025: TikTok investigated over use of children's data and Instagram is exploring a separate Reels app

TikTok investigated over use of children's data

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) will inspect the way in which the social media platform uses the data of 13 to 17-year-olds to recommend further content to them.

John Edwards, the Information Commissioner, said it would look at whether TikTok's data collection practices could lead to children experiencing harm, such as data being leaked or spending "more time than is healthy" on the platform.

TikTok told the BBC its recommender systems operated under "strict and comprehensive measures that protect the privacy and safety of teens".

Read more here.

Instagram is exploring a separate Reels app

Instagram is considering launching a standalone app for its short form video feature, Reels, its boss Adam Mosseri told staff this week.

Reels, across both Facebook and IG, are Meta’s fastest-growing content type, and are now driving more than 200 billion cumulative views per day.

A standalone Reels app would be a more direct replica of TikTok, opening to a full screen, scrolling display of short form videos.?

With Reels recently being extended to three minutes, there could be a variety of content, enough to potentially justify a separate app.

Read more here.

Pinterest plans to introduce more transparent AI labeling on posts

Last week, Futurism published a post that highlighted the rising influx of AI generated content in the app, which is now overwhelming some users.?

These fake images drive traffic to AI-generated content sites, which the creators can then monetise via Google Ads.

The problem has been noted by many Pinterest users, who are now finding this AI junk so pervasive that the utility of the platform is being reduced.

Read more here.

Meta apologises over flood of gore, violence and dead bodies on Instagram

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has apologised after Instagram users were subjected to a flood of violence, gore, animal abuse and dead bodies on their Reels feeds.

Users reported the footage after an apparent malfunction in Instagram’s algorithm, which curates what people see on the app.

A list of violent content on one user’s feed, published by the tech news site 404, included: a man being set on fire; a man shooting a cashier at point-blank range; videos from an account called PeopleDeadDaily; and a pig being beaten with a wrench.?

Read more here.

LinkedIn tests alternate feed of updates from only your connections

LinkedIn is testing out a new way to potentially drive more engagement in the app, by giving users an option to switch to a feed of only updates from people in their first degree network.

“We’re always experimenting with new product experiences for our members - including exploring ways for members to control the content they see on their feed. The new tabs at the top of your feed is a test that allows you to filter content on your feed.”

LinkedIn’s tabs experiment will provide two tabs to choose from, either “All”, which will be the default, and is your current LinkedIn feed, and “My Network”, which will only display content from your connections, as well as people and pages you follow.

Read more here.