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Title: The MPA tells Meta to stop using PG-13 to describe teen accounts

Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2025 17:42:52 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-mpa-tel...

The Motion Picture Association doesnΓÇÖt share MetaΓÇÖs view that the content
people under the age of 18 might encounter on an Instagram Teen Account is
comparable to what you might find in a PG-13 movie. The MPA has reportedly
hit Mark ZuckerbergΓÇÖs company with a cease-and-desist letter that objects
to MetaΓÇÖs use of the term "PG-13."

To rewind, Meta revamped its teen-specific accounts ΓÇö which were first
introduced last year ΓÇö last month, claiming that going forward the account
content would be guided by PG-13 movie ratings. In a blog post explaining the
change, it said: "Just like you might see some suggestive content or hear
some strong language in a PG-13 movie, teens may occasionally see something
like that on Instagram ΓÇö but weΓÇÖre going to keep doing all we can to keep
those instances as rare as possible."

As EngadgetΓÇÖs Karissa Bell pointed out at the time, while Meta openly
acknowledged that no system is without its flaws, the analogy is a bit vague
and confusing, especially as the company has tightened up some of its rules
so that teens are no longer supposed to see any "sexually suggestive" content
on the app. This is despite content of that nature often being present in a
PG-13 movie.

In the cease-and-desist letter that The Wall Street Journal claims to have
seen, the MPA has called MetaΓÇÖs use of its ratings system in describing how
the new teen account restrictions work "literally false and highly
misleading." It said that the established movie-ratings system is not
comparable to MetaΓÇÖs system, which it added appears to "rely heavily on
artificial intelligence." It also warned that potential issues with MetaΓÇÖs
classification metrics would "inevitably cause the public to question the
integrity of the MPAΓÇÖs rating system."

Meta did also directly reference the PG-13 ratings system in its blog post
when discussing its AI experiences, where it said that teens interacting with
chatbots would not receive "age-inappropriate responses that would feel out
of place in a PG-13 movie." Meta told the WSJ that the changes were intended
to make it easier for parents to understand its content policies by measuring
them against something familiar, and that it was aware that "social media
isnΓÇÖt the same as movies." Responding to the cease-and-desist letter, it
said that it never tried to claim or imply any official PG-13 certification
from the MPA.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-
tech/the-mpa-tells-meta-to-stop-using-pg-13-to-describe-teen-accounts-
174251843.html?src=rss

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