Story Highlight
– Social media still promotes harmful content to teenagers.
– 97% of suggested Instagram Reels content was harmful.
– TikTok’s harmful posts reach large audiences, many liked.
– Algorithm measures deemed insufficient to protect young users.
– Platforms profit from ads adjacent to harmful content.
Full Story
Social media platforms continue to expose teenagers to content related to depression, self-harm, and suicide, despite the implementation of new online safety legislation aimed at safeguarding young users. The Molly Rose Foundation conducted an investigation by creating accounts masquerading as a 15-year-old girl and subsequently interacting with posts about self-harm and suicidal thoughts. This led the algorithms to inundate the account with what the foundation described as “a tsunami of harmful content” on platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok’s For You page.
The charity’s findings revealed that almost all recommended videos viewed on Instagram Reels (97%) and TikTok (96%) included harmful content. Additionally, more than half of the harmful posts identified on TikTok’s For You page (55%) referenced suicidal ideation, with 16% specifically detailing methods of suicide, including some that had not been previously documented by the researchers. The reach of such posts is alarming; for example, one in ten harmful TikTok videos had received at least one million likes, whereas one in five harmful videos on Instagram Reels had garnered over 250,000 likes.
Andy Burrows, CEO of the Molly Rose Foundation, stated: “Harmful algorithms continue to bombard teenagers with shocking levels of harmful content, and on the most popular platforms for young people this can happen at an industrial scale. It is shocking that in the two years since we last conducted this research, the scale of harm has still not been properly addressed, and on TikTok the risks have actively got worse. The measures set out by Ofcom to tackle algorithmic harm are at best a sticking plaster and will not be enough to address preventable harm. It is crucial that the government and regulator act decisively to bring in much stronger measures that platforms cannot game or ignore.”
The study, conducted from November 2024 to March 2025, showed that while both Instagram and TikTok allowed teenagers to provide negative feedback on content, this same function inadvertently enabled positive feedback—resulting in users being shown even more of the harmful content. Although platforms have implemented steps to restrict searches for dangerous content via hashtags, their tailored AI recommendation systems continue to amplify harmful content that has already been engaged with, according to the report.
Evidence cited in the research highlights a worrying correlation between exposure to harmful online material and rising incidences of suicide and self-harm among youth. It was also noted that social media companies benefit from advertisements linked alongside some harmful posts, often associated with brands popular among younger audiences and UK universities.
Ofcom has started to enforce the Online Safety Act’s codes intended to protect children, which aim to mitigate harmful algorithms. However, the Molly Rose Foundation is critical of the regulator’s recommendation for platforms to invest only £80,000 to rectify these issues. An Ofcom spokesperson remarked: “Change is happening. Since this research was carried out, our new measures to protect children online have come into force. These will make a meaningful difference to children – helping to prevent exposure to the most harmful content, including suicide and self-harm material. And for the first time, services will be required by law to tame toxic algorithms.”
Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, noted that 45 websites are currently under investigation in the wake of the Online Safety Act’s implementation. He added that Ofcom is considering ways to enhance current protections, such as advocating for proactive technology to shield children from self-harm content.
A TikTok representative commented: “Teen accounts on TikTok have 50+ features and settings designed to help them safely express themselves, discover and learn, and parents can further customize content and privacy settings through Family Pairing. With over 99% of violative content proactively removed by TikTok, the findings don’t reflect the real experience of people on our platform, which the report admits.” Meanwhile, Meta expressed disagreement with the report’s conclusions, asserting that they have implemented robust measures to protect teenagers across Instagram platforms.
For support in the UK and Ireland, individuals can reach out to Samaritans at freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be contacted at 988, with additional resources available at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, assistance can be accessed via Lifeline at 13 11 14. A comprehensive list of international helplines is available at befrienders.org.
