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7h ago

MPA Issues Cease-and-Desist Over Meta’s ‘PG-13’ Instagram Teen Settings

The film group says its human-run ratings cannot be equated to Meta’s automated filters, risking dilution of a registered certification mark.

Instagram app icon is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
London, UK - July 30, 2018: The buttons of the photo app Instagram, surrounded by WhatsApp, Facebook, Messages and other apps on the screen of an iPhone.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wears the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, as he delivers a speech presenting the new line of smart glasses, during the Meta Connect event at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S., September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
instagram vs pg-13 rating over hollywood sign

Overview

  • In an Oct. 28 letter to Meta chief legal officer Jennifer Newstead, the Motion Picture Association demanded Meta immediately disassociate Teen Accounts and AI tools from its ratings system and set a Nov. 3 resolution date.
  • The MPA calls Meta’s “guided by PG-13” claims “literally false and highly misleading,” framing potential false-advertising and trademark-dilution violations tied to its PG-13 certification mark.
  • Meta says it never claimed MPA certification or a partnership, argues its description is a parent-facing shorthand that is factually accurate, and asserts nominative fair use.
  • Instagram’s Teen Accounts place minors into stricter 13+ settings by default, filtering nudity, graphic or violent content, substance use and strong language, adding a parent-enabled Limited Content mode and limiting AI chat, with rollout in the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada.
  • As of Nov. 6, Instagram still displayed language that teen accounts are guided by movie-style ratings, and both sides indicate a preference to resolve the dispute without litigation.