In just 11 minutes after setting up an experimental teen account on Instagram, a Labour MP was shocked to find vile antisemitic comments surfacing. Melanie Ward is now challenging Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, following an incident involving a banned “Manosphere” influencer’s video on the 17-year-old’s account.
Alleging that the tech giant misled parents and lawmakers about the efficacy of their Teen Account feature, Ward conducted an experiment in March. Despite not following any profiles or searching for accounts, she encountered a video featuring influencer Sneako during her feed scroll.
The video depicted the American figure engaging in a live discussion where his guest made derogatory remarks about wealthy Jewish business individuals potentially having connections to Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency. Sneako, also known as Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy, appeared in Louis Theroux’s recent Netflix documentary on the Manosphere, a controversial network of online influencers known for ultra-masculine content.
Notorious for promoting antisemitic content, Sneako has a history of sharing hateful messages, such as singing Kanye West’s condemned song “Heil Hitler” in a nightclub with other influencers like Andrew Tate.
Expressing support for banning social media for under-16s, Ward has written to Meta’s UK Country Director demanding a meeting and emphasizing the company’s responsibility to prevent young users from exposure to harmful and radicalizing content.
In her letter, Ward highlighted her concerns about the antisemitic content shown on the account she created, emphasizing the need for Meta to enhance its safeguards to protect impressionable youth from harmful ideologies.
Introduced in 2024, Instagram’s Teen Accounts aimed to regulate communication with teens and control the content they view. The government is set to unveil plans to enhance social media safety measures for children after a public consultation period.
Proposed measures include potential social media bans for children, restrictions on addictive design elements, and implementing overnight curfews to safeguard young users online. Labour leader Keir Starmer has pledged to hold tech companies accountable for protecting children online, signaling forthcoming changes in regulations.
Meta has been contacted for comments regarding the issue raised by Ms. Ward, indicating ongoing communication to address her concerns.
