Last Updated:
The outrage happened after Meta used “back-to-school pictures of schoolgirls” to advertise the Threads app to a 37-year-old man, who appeared to report it himself.
In this AI-generated representative image, a man is shown reacting with shock while viewing social media on his phone. Parents appear concerned and schoolchildren are depicted as neutral, generic figures, illustrating the unsettling nature of posts being repurposed online. (IMAGE: IMAGEN 4/NEWS18)
Meta, the company behind widely used apps including Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads and Facebook, allegedly used back-to-school photos of schoolgirls to promote one of its social media platforms. The ads appeared on the device of a 37-year-old man.
Speaking to the Guardian, the UK-based newspaper that first reported the story, the man said that because he only received promotional posts featuring schoolgirls (which means there were no boys in school uniform) there appeared to be “an aspect of sexualisation.”
Recommended Stories
He added that the posts, which encouraged him to “get Threads,” were embedded in his Instagram feed and included images of girls as young as 13. In some cases their faces were visible, and in most cases their names appeared.
According to the Guardian, the images had been posted by parents on Instagram to mark their children’s return to school. The parents said they were unaware that Meta’s settings allowed the company to repurpose these posts for promotional use.
About the Author
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev…Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev… Read More
London, United Kingdom (UK)
September 21, 2025, 13:43 IST
Loading comments…
Read More
