• by Colin Kirkland , 7 hours ago

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) -- a movie-industry trade group based in Washington, D.C. -- has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Meta, warning the tech giant to stop using the term “PG-13” to describe a new content-moderation initiative on Instagram.

Earlier this month, Instagram, a social media company owned by Meta, announced that its teen accounts will now “be guided by PG-13 movie ratings by default,” as the platform planned to begin implementing stricter content settings for teen users.

“Teens will see content on Instagram that is similar to what they’d see in a PG-13 movie,” the company added in a blog post, detailing the prohibition of content that is sexually suggestive, graphic, disturbing, or that features tobacco and alcohol sales.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the MP's letter states that Instagram’s choice to guide its updated teen content recommendations by PG-13 ratings is “literally false and highly misleading.”

“The MPA has worked for decades to earn the public's trust in its rating system,” the letter, signed by the MPA's outside counsel Naresh Kilaru, reads. “Any dissatisfaction with Meta's automated classification will inevitably cause the public to question the integrity of the MPA's rating system.”

The MPA also highlighted how Meta's content restrictions “rely heavily on artificial intelligence,” while the MPA's rating system does not.

In response to the MPA's letter, a Meta spokesperson said that the company was aiming to make things “simpler” for parents looking to understand the content policy changes.

“We know social media isn't the same as movies, but we made this change to support parents, and we hope to work with the MPA to continue to bring families this clarity,” the spokesperson added.

Meta also denies that it ever claimed its PG-13 content rating was ever certified by the MPA. The company believes the term is available for fair use.