Metas platforms have an alleged predator problem.

From American public media, this is Marketplace Tech.

I'm Lily Jramale. Before we begin a warning that this segment includes sensitive content about the sexualization of children.

For several months now, reporters at the Wall Street Journal have been looking at the algorithms

that recommend content on meta's platforms, specifically Facebook. algorithms that abuse on a mass scale to users who show sexual interest in kids.

Meta argues that they use sophisticated technology,

hire child safety experts, and report content

to help root predators out.

But the problem persists according to Wall Street Journal reporter Catherine Blunt.

She told me what she learned by setting up test accounts, including some that followed young influencers on Instagram.

And it was really quite surprising

that the speed at which it began recommending,

specifically in the real short video function of the platform, sex content related to children as well as adults, and you know just to sort of add another layer to this meta monetized this content by running ads for major brands and so the

upshot of this is that these you know these test accounts the platform

detected that it behaves like other accounts that have a sexual interest in children.

And so began recommending content based on that very, very limited signal.

You have Facebook's algorithms, you write, recommended groups with names like little girls and beautiful boys.

And what are users in those groups doing? What are they talking about based on your reporting?

Right, so the issues within meta extend beyond Instagram, I mean there's overt discussion of child

sexualization content actions other terrible things.

It's been a real challenge for Meta to kind of,

first of all assess the full scope of this issue

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