The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has reportedly issued a cease-and-desist letter to Meta, objecting to the company’s use of the “PG-13” movie rating to describe its new content moderation policies for teens on Instagram.
The letter, dated 28 October, reportedly stated that Meta’s marketing around the update was “literally false and highly misleading”. According to NBC News, the MPA argued that the PG-13 rating is a registered certification mark owned by the association and that Meta’s use of it could undermine public trust in the integrity of the film industry’s long-established rating system.
In the letter shared with NBC News, MPA attorney Naresh Kilaru noted that the association has spent decades building public trust in its film rating system, warning that Meta’s automated classification approach could erode that credibility.
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The association also highlighted that its ratings are reportedly determined by “an independent group of parents” through a consensus-based process that evaluates films in context, a process Meta does not follow. It added that Meta’s teen content restrictions reportedly appear to rely largely on AI or automated technology measures.
In response, Meta clarified to NBC News that it had no intention of implying any official partnership with the MPA or participation in its ratings process. The company reportedly said the update was designed to help parents better understand teen safety measures on the platform and expressed openness to working with the MPA to enhance clarity for families.
The MPA’s film ratings system was introduced in 1968, with the PG-13 classification added in 1984 as an intermediate category between “PG” and “R.”
Meta first introduced the PG-13 reference in an October blog post unveiling the revamp of its Teen Accounts feature. The update automatically places users under 18 into a 13+ setting by default, restricting exposure to content deemed inappropriate for their age group.
The company said the move was “guided by PG-13 movie ratings” to help parents better understand the platform’s safeguards, and included a stricter “Limited Content” option for families seeking tighter control.
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The PG-13 update builds on Meta’s broader efforts to strengthen protections for younger users. Earlier this year, Instagram began using AI to identify teens who misstate their age to bypass safeguards built into its Teen Accounts feature. The AI system proactively flags accounts that appear to belong to teens and automatically places them in the stricter settings, which limit unwanted contact, exposure to inappropriate content, and excessive screen time.
The feature, first launched in Singapore in January 2025 before expanding to Hong Kong, Taiwan and the wider APAC region in February, had enrolled at least 54 million teens globally at the time of writing. According to Meta, 97% of them had opted to remain within the protected experience.
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