Eating Disorder Content on X, Meta’s Toxic Ads, and Roblox Child Gambling
TTP's December 20, 2024 Newsletter
Eating Disorder Content Quietly Thrives on X
In October, NBC reported that X was pushing pro-eating disorder content to users through its “For You” page, which was introduced after Elon Musk’s takeover and uses algorithms to recommend posts. While the promotion of eating disorders violates X’s policies against self-harm, the platform has failed to implement basic safeguards employed by companies like Meta and TikTok, such as blocking search terms associated with extreme dieting. Now, experts who study the relationship between social media and disordered eating are sounding alarms. “There is this echo chamber, this highly interlinked community,” Dr. Kristina Lerman told The Atlantic’s Kaitlyn Tiffany. “It’s also very visible, which is why X is developing a reputation as a place to go to find that kind of content.”
Both Elon Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino have voiced their support for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which would create a duty of care for online platforms to mitigate specific harms to minors, including eating disorders. While Yaccarino has told lawmakers that “less than 1%” of X’s users are under 18, the platform’s unusually lax approach to content moderation may eventually attract minors from other online spaces. The Atlantic story noted that X has made a half-hearted attempt to remove pro-anorexia groups, taking down one of the largest after NBC’s coverage but allowing others to grow to over 80,000 members. If X is classified as a “covered platform” under KOSA, it would have a legal responsibility to address this problem, and prevent its algorithms from recommending content that promotes eating disorders and other forms of self-harm.
Instagram Ads Drive Revenue with Little Quality Control
Meta is expected to generate half of its revenue from Instagram advertisements in 2025, according to an independent report published this week. Users appear to be spending almost two-thirds of their Instagram screentime watching Reels, Meta’s TikTok competitor, where full-screen advertisements are sandwiched between every two-to-three videos. The company has also built AI tools designed to optimize the performance of ads, tweaking design elements or continually modifying audiences to maximize engagement with promoted content.
Unfortunately, Meta appears to have not focused similarly on its ad screening systems. In 2024, TTP published reports which found that Meta had approved hundreds of ads for firearms, illicit drugs, and blatant political campaign scams. Enforcement seems to have only improved in the last quarter of 2024, after a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers cited TTP’s research in a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The same report was also cited in a new WIRED story this week, which examined how drug dealers are using social media to find buyers.
UK Investigation Uncovers Online Roblox Casinos Targeting Children
This week, an investigation by Sky News uncovered a network of illegal online casinos that target Roblox players—over 40% of whom are under 12 years old. The casinos allow players to log in with their Roblox credentials, so they can gamble in-game currency (Robux) on slots, blackjack, and other casino games. Any winnings from these games can be converted into cryptocurrency and eventually exchanged for cash. One child told SkyNews that he began placing bets with Robux when he was 14, after seeing an advertisement for a gambling site on social media; since then, he gambled the equivalent of £150,000 at online casinos.
While many of the Roblox gambling sites appear to have immediately shuttered after the investigation was published, “skin gambling” platforms are still available for many other popular games. A review by Barrons found 73 gambling sites associated with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), while a quick search of Meta’s ad library reveals hundreds of advertisements for CS:GO casinos and raffles. Unfortunately, it is impossible to tell if these ads are viewed by minors in the United States, because Meta does not offer transparency into ad delivery.
What We’re Reading
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