Instagram and parent company Meta are in trouble with the Motion Picture Association (MPA) over how they are using the PG-13 rating.
In October, Instagram’s teen accounts were updated to only view content “similar to what they’d see in a PG-13 movie.” The MPA said it was not notified of the update at the time.
The bigger concern, according to the MPA, is how Meta and Instagram are using the PG-13 rating. The trade group, which defines movie ratings, said Meta and Instagram’s process of rating content as PG-13 doesn’t jell with the MPA’s methodology.
As a result, it sent a cease and desist letter to the two companies.
”The MPA has worked for decades to earn the public’s trust in its rating system,” reads the letter in part that was seen by The Verge.
“Meta’s claim that its Teen Accounts will be ‘guided by’ or ‘aligned with’ the MPA’s PG-13 rating and that Teen Account content will be ‘similar to’ what would be seen in a PG-13 movie has the real potential to erode that trust.”
However, it doesn’t appear as if Meta will change anything.
“Meta has never claimed or implied that its Teen Account offerings are officially PG-13 rated or certified by the MPA – in fact, it has expressly stated the opposite,” reads the response in part.
Meta also said its use of the PG-13 rating constitutes fair use. That implies the MPA has no legal standing in terms of what defines the PG-13 rating.
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