Live data from Hacker News

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

wsj.com

41–50 of 109 posts

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

#41

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.

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

A Chinese entity has a controlling interest. We want all of our manipulation to be domestic, thankyouverymuch.

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

#42
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.

Insta/FB/X/TikTok are all massive geo-political risks for a large number of countries. They have been called many times as tools for social engineering against governments.

There is no good side in this debate.

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

#43
post #25
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you can really compare staying up late to sneakily watch a (typically soft-core) porn and things like that to always having this content being pushed on you with a device always in your pocket every day. It's really a matter of degree and scale.

I guess but I had unfiltered access to the internet starting around this age and it was fine. There were two stages of my life, too young to understand or have any desire for sexual content, and old enough to want and seek out sexual content. At 13 I was well into the second stage and it's super weird how we pretend that tweens and teens aren't horny as hell despite all of us having lived through the hormonal onslaug…

Meanwhile I encountered the wrong, extreme side of porn at 15. And it spiraled from there. It really caused me issues in my twenties and its only now in my thirties that I finally feel I can start to bury the ashes. I'm on track, I've eliminated what I was obsessed with and still fighting the last of the demons.

I'm not who I was and it's been an insane hard task to change myself. I understand why people don't. That's what I have to remind myself every morning.

During my twenties I was easily wanking 5-8 times a day, I couldn't get enough. I existed within a fandom, the hint is in my username, which is now a thing of the past and I have nothing good to say about such fandom! But, still feels like my horny switch is glued to on. I've even been mulling over the idea of castration just to ensure I have no libido.

God forbid, I was a creep and my mind, psyche was an horrorshow. It was only when I accidentally took a heroic dose of an psychedelic I saw who I was. During the psychosis the devil on my shoulder and where I was to stay in the after life. I hit rock bottom, one step away to the point of no return.

My parents tried, I beat their system. I moved out after college and then had my own place with no restrictions.

Porn is no joke.

In true crazy, I even documented the episode somewhat. old site, so no ssl et cetera, exists for legacy.. /face palm

http://pixc.pl/argh/blogs/paws_palace.html

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

#44
post #25
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you can really compare staying up late to sneakily watch a (typically soft-core) porn and things like that to always having this content being pushed on you with a device always in your pocket every day. It's really a matter of degree and scale.

I guess but I had unfiltered access to the internet starting around this age and it was fine. There were two stages of my life, too young to understand or have any desire for sexual content, and old enough to want and seek out sexual content. At 13 I was well into the second stage and it's super weird how we pretend that tweens and teens aren't horny as hell despite all of us having lived through the hormonal onslaug…

What do you mean by "it wasn't super serious"? Sex is seriously some serious business.

Pornography definitely caused issues for me. It isn't an accurate representation of a healthy sexual relationship.

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

#45
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?

If a dealer correctly determines that crack will keep a person interested, and that crack is, let's say problematic, isn't that an issue with the person not the crack?

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

#46
post #10

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

The issue with even saying you don't like something seems to be that _everything_ contains some sort of sexualized being. Into fitness? here's a mostly naked person doing fitness. Hiking? Same. Gardening? Yup! Etc... How can the algorithm possibly disambiguate?

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

#47
post #25
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you can really compare staying up late to sneakily watch a (typically soft-core) porn and things like that to always having this content being pushed on you with a device always in your pocket every day. It's really a matter of degree and scale.

I guess but I had unfiltered access to the internet starting around this age and it was fine. There were two stages of my life, too young to understand or have any desire for sexual content, and old enough to want and seek out sexual content. At 13 I was well into the second stage and it's super weird how we pretend that tweens and teens aren't horny as hell despite all of us having lived through the hormonal onslaug…

Sure, but go to one of the main porn websites and you're shown extremely hardcore content on the front page, in video thumbnails. Often there's something "rough", probaby something about step siblings, and in most cases the actors are being exploited or quite possibly trafficked.

I agree with your sentiment though. Removing access to pornographic material isn't the answer. But these days unfiltered access comes with a different set of issues that likely have negative consequences on development of a healthy attitude to sex.

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

#48

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 even more disappointed that parents allow 11-15 year olds to be Instagram "influencers" where 85% of the people being influenced are creepy old men.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/22/us/instagram-child-influe...

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

#49

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.

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

FB/IG will delete or downgrade content that's extremely embarrassing to the US government; TikTok will do the same for the Chinese government. It's amusing when a subject (e.g. US government funding for a Chinese virus lab doing bat coronavirus research right before the Covid pandemic) hits both triggers - but X does allow that content to some degree so perhaps X really is a bit more pro-free-speech than either FB/IG or TikTok.

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

#50
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

If a dealer correctly determines that crack will keep a person interested, and that crack is, let's say problematic, isn't that an issue with the person not the crack?

We appear to be arguing over semantics. The points being raised here are variations of the following questions: how much is a human life worth, and whose responsibility is it to preserve that life? If you want to poison yourself, is anyone under any obligation to stop you from finding or giving you that poison?
Post reply on HN