‘Absolutely Disgusting’: Parents Slam Meta For Using Schoolgirls’ Photos In Targeted Ads Without Consent

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is facing growing criticism after parents in the UK discovered that their daughters’ school photos were used in targeted ads promoting the company’s Threads app. The issue came to light when a 37-year-old man reported that his Instagram feed was filled with “back-to-school” pictures of schoolgirls, which were repurposed by Meta as promotional posts.

According to The Guardian, which first reported the story, the man noticed that all the suggested ads he received featured schoolgirls, no boys in school uniforms, raising concerns about “an aspect of sexualisation.” The images had originally been posted by parents on Instagram to mark their children’s return to school.

One mother believed her account was private, only to discover that her posts were automatically cross-posted to Threads where they were visible publicly. Another parent had uploaded her child’s photo on a public Instagram account. Unbeknownst to them, Meta’s algorithm flagged and reused these posts as “suggested threads” for advertising.

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Troubling Data Patterns

The reach of these images went far beyond what the parents expected. One mother, with just 267 followers, said her child’s post was suddenly viewed nearly 7,000 times, 90 per cent of the views came from non-followers, most of whom were men over the age of 44.

Parents were alarmed not only by the scale of exposure but also by the way the photos were being promoted. The father of a 13-year-old whose picture appeared in one ad said it was “absolutely outrageous,” adding that he felt “disgusted” to see a seemingly innocent school photo repurposed in what appeared to be a sexualised context.

Meta’s Response

Meta, valued at more than USD 2 trillion, defended its practices. The company said that the images did not violate its community standards and were shared publicly by parents themselves. A spokesperson explained that Meta’s systems are designed not to promote content shared by teens, but in this case, the posts were uploaded from adult accounts with public viewing enabled.

In response to the criticism, Meta stressed that these were not paid ads but recommendation tools designed to help promote Threads. “The images shared do not violate our policies and are back-to-school photos posted publicly by parents,” the spokesperson said. “We have systems in place to ensure that we don’t recommend Threads shared by teens or those that go against our guidelines. Users can also control whether Meta suggests their public posts.”

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Despite Meta’s explanation, parents remain unconvinced. One mother of a 15-year-old girl said she was horrified to see her daughter’s picture used under a large “Get Threads” button. “For me, it was just a back-to-school photo. I had no idea Instagram had picked it up to market their product. It’s absolutely disgusting. She is a minor,” she said.