Live data from Hacker News

Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos to Accounts for 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show

wsj.com

31–40 of 109 posts

Re: Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos to Accounts for 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show

#31
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe using opaque algorithms to score and assign prominence to specific content based on ill-defined metrics like "engagement" was a mistake.

If an algorithm correctly determines content that will keep a person interested, and that content is, lets say problematic, isn't that an issue with the person not the algorithm?

Sure, in the same way that gambling addiction could be argued to be an issue with the person. But we still keep kids out of casinos because they don't have the judgement to make "good" choices when exposed to this kind of stimulation.

Re: Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos to Accounts for 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show

#32
post #10

I am always surprised by articles like this. Instagram never recommends sexual videos to me .

It’s very easy to train it.

1. Search “TikTok dance”

2. Scroll until one is at the beach thus bikini

3. Let it loop a couple times

4. Exit the app and comeback - that’s your new feed

Re: Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos to Accounts for 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show

#33

Sex is everywhere. The internet has a lot of sex. It has been kind of the default since inception. Wild people just now know of its presence.

It's true, it just used to be behind the scenes available to those who seek it out. Like that skeezy room at the back of the video store that had curtains blocking it off.

IMO the real "problem" here isn't technological, political, or corporate - it's just a slide of social norms toward hyper-permissibility of immodest or bad behavior. The resolution will likely be social as well, and people realizing that kids are getting exposed to smut will likely hasten that. Laws might get passed, corporations might change their policies, but only after the pendulum swings back socially.

Re: Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos to Accounts for 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show

#34
post #9

> In one clip that Instagram recommended to a test account identified as 13 years old, an adult performer promised to send a picture of her “chest bags” via direct message to anyone who commented on her video. Another flashed her genitalia at the camera. When it comes encryption and privacy the legislators just can't wait to jump in an "save the children", let's see how vigorous they are going to be investigating and…

The reason for the US government banning TikTok is not that TikTok is a worse product (it is superior). The reason is that it is a massive geopolitical risk. People often conflate these two.

Genuine question: why is TikTok viewed as a risk? How does it differ from Facebook or Twitter with all the fake news, threats, etc.

Imo, the way that some have instrumentalized Western social media for disinformation is a bigger threat than allowing a competitor

Re: Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos to Accounts for 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show

#35

I'm genuinely curious, how old were you when you were first exposed to sexual content? I think I was like 7 or 8. Like, we had a channel ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTV_Palma ) publicly broadcasting porn after midnight (I don't remember watching that) and all the older (~15YO) kids around the neighborhood were collecting porn magazines from who knows where and hiding them around in "caches". I remember all the ol…

But it's different... you actually had to seek porn to find it back then (like stay up past your bedtime, turn on a relatively bad tv station, and sneak sticky magazines from somewhere.

Now it's seeking you... open instagram, and you get porn ads, even if you're 13.

On the other hand, boobs in shower gel ads were pretty normal back then, and noone really got excited by them. Also asses in thongs for suntan location ( https://svetkapitala.delo.si/media/images/20200217/322547.wi... )

Re: Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos to Accounts for 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reason for the US government banning TikTok is not that TikTok is a worse product (it is superior). The reason is that it is a massive geopolitical risk. People often conflate these two.

How is it a risk?? Are the communists cackling with glee as they steal all those 30 second clips of teens doing the cinnamon challenge?

It is probably possible to manipulate people to further your political goals in an automated fashion using these technologies. In fact you can manipulate insane numbers of people in all kinds of ways with them.

Re: Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos to Accounts for 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show

#37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was younger porn was a properly seedy thing that people would consume but almost no-one knew anyone that 'did it'. Nowadays you have OnlyFans models or similar basically all over every social media platform, businesses trying to sell it as a legit lifestyle, etc. It's completely different, because it's becoming much more bidirectional and open now.

Porn and OF are not similar. Porn is more of a job and OF a lifestyle

I don't follow. In my mind OF is just "democratized" porn that doesn't have to go through seedy producers/distributors. It's like Uber for porn.

Re: Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos to Accounts for 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show

#38

Sex is everywhere. The internet has a lot of sex. It has been kind of the default since inception. Wild people just now know of its presence.

You might have misunderstood if you believed this article was about people just learning that sex is on the internet.

Re: Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos to Accounts for 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show

#39

I am disappointed that parents allow 13 year olds to have iphones + social media accounts. The downsides have been well-documented. [1] Can we all collectively get together and say "no" to that stuff until like 18? [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI6rX96oYnY

I'm a strong believer that smart watches cover plenty: music, phone calls, texts, schedule/reminders, and even light reading.

Re: Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos to Accounts for 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show

#40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reason for the US government banning TikTok is not that TikTok is a worse product (it is superior). The reason is that it is a massive geopolitical risk. People often conflate these two.

How is it a risk?? Are the communists cackling with glee as they steal all those 30 second clips of teens doing the cinnamon challenge?

Tim Ferris has a great podcast episode with Matt Pottinger that discusses this topic. https://tim.blog/2024/05/08/matt-pottinger/
Post reply on HN