A recent report indicates that Meta compensates influencers to advocate against social media restrictions for teenage accounts globally.

      Meta is reportedly enlisting paid influencers to advocate for Teen Accounts in regions where governments are contemplating bans on teens accessing social media.

      Imagine this: Meta invites parenting influencers to a scenic location by Sydney Harbour, presents them with custom scout badges and gourmet s’mores, and asks them to inform their audiences that imposing blanket bans on teen social media usage is ill-advised.

      This scenario unfolded, according to a new investigation by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), which revealed that Meta organized the Sydney event in July 2025, just five months before Australia's significant ban on under-16s took effect. The TTP report indicates that this exact strategy has now been adopted in over a dozen countries where governments are starting to consider similar regulations.

      How Meta’s influencer strategy functions

      According to TTP’s findings, this strategy recurs almost identically in various locations. Meta organizes sophisticated branded events, often labeled as Instagram Safety Camp or Screen Smart, then recruits actors, radio personalities, psychologists, and parenting influencers to promote its Teen Accounts as evidence that such bans are unnecessary.

      In Indonesia, actor Darius Sinathrya urged his 1.8 million followers to explore the safety features. In India, actress Juhi Parmar reassured parents about their teens' online safety, just months after Instagram faced criticism for approving child abuse advertisements in the country. In Brazil, actor Douglas Silva, who has three million followers, did likewise.

      Many of these posts utilize vague hashtags like #instagrampartner instead of clear advertising disclosures. Meta also finances youth safety nonprofits and think tanks that support its anti-ban rhetoric without consistently revealing that they receive funding from Meta.

      Why is this significant?

      Independent assessments tell a different story than what influencers portray. The Washington Post previously discovered that Teen Accounts do not sufficiently protect children from harmful content, and TTP confirmed similar shortcomings, echoing another investigation that found Instagram was exposing Teen Accounts to sexual content, contradicting Meta’s own safety assurances.

      In an interview with The Guardian, Meta spokesperson Edward Patterson rejected the notion that its influencer strategies are deceptive, arguing that blanket bans merely push teens towards less safe, unregulated areas of the internet. However, TTP director Katie Paul sees it differently, stating to The Guardian that Meta’s dependence on paid advocates demonstrates that the company is aware, as she put it, that “the brand has become a problem.”

      Manisha Priyadarshini is a technology and entertainment writer with over nine years of editorial experience.

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