Meta has rules about graphic content, and an automated content moderation system designed to detect it. Those rules begin by saying “we understand that people have different sensitivities with regard to graphic and violent imagery,” before detailing the types of content they remove or censor.
CBS News 
According to data published by Meta, the company “took action on” 39 million pieces of content on Instagram last year.
Meta’s public data does not, however, say what type of action was taken after detection of those 39 million pieces of content. An “action” can include deleting a post or disabling an account, but it can also mean a post is covered by a warning screen and left on the platform.
These screens blur the videos and warn users “this video may contain graphic or violent content.” Users can click a “see why” button, which displays a popup explaining the post “doesn’t go against our Community Standards, but may contain images that some people might find upsetting.”
If users click “see reel,” they’re shown the video.
CBS News reviewed hundreds of Reels flagged as sensitive by Instagram’s system. They depict homicides, industrial accidents, extreme car crashes and more.
These warning screens may even make people more likely to view the censored content, according to Victoria Bridgeland, a researcher at Flinders University in Australia.
In multiple studies, Bridgeland and her colleagues found people chose to uncover censored posts at startlingly high rates – as high as 90%.
One problem with the warning screens, Bridgeland said, is that they don’t describe the censored videos, but instead contain a generic warning that the video “may contain graphic or violent content.” One way to make them more effective, according to Bridgeland, would be to add captions that describe what the video might show.
“It satiates the curiosity a little bit and they don’t have to go and then look at the content,” she said.
It’s not clear if Instagram limits how many “sensitive” posts an account can have. CBS News found over 100 accounts with five or more “sensitive content” reels, and several that were almost entirely censored.
CBS News 
While Instagram’s policies also say sensitive posts “may not be eligible for recommendations,” CBS News found the platform’s “suggested for you” feature routinely recommends accounts with flagged posts.
CBS News identified more than 300 accounts that were recommended in this way despite having been previously flagged for sensitive content.
Meta’s content moderation policy also says posts flagged as sensitive are “age-gated,” meaning they are limited to users 18 and older.
CBS News 
More recently, Meta has taken steps to give users more control over how much graphic content they see on Instagram. In 2022, they rolled out “sensitive content control” settings giving users three options: “less,” “standard” or “more.” Certain accounts for teens under 16 now defaulted to “less,” and the “more” setting was disabled for accounts of users under 18. “None” is not an option for users.
In September 2024, Meta strengthened protections for minors, rolling out new “teen accounts,” which defaulted to the “less” sensitive content setting.
Those sensitive content controls only affect content flagged by Instagram’s automated system, which doesn’t catch every sensitive post, CBS News found.
CBS News reviewed the Reels of about 40 accounts that had been heavily flagged for sensitive content. Many contained uncensored clips adjacent to censored ones featuring nearly identical content.
For example, an account called “@extreme_crashed.0,” which is dedicated to car crash videos, posted a video on April 25 of a person being hit by a car in a crosswalk and thrown into the air before laying motionless in the street. Instagram gave that video a “sensitive content” warning.
The same day, that account posted another video showing a person being ejected from a car in a highway crash. That video was left uncensored.
