Technology

Have You Heard of Instagram‘s Growing ’Instasex’ Problem?

Instagrams Seedier Side InstaPorn Causes Some Concern for Parents

(Image: Wikimedia)

Whether it be of landscapes, a group of friends or your latest meal, taking snapshots and applying a vintage-style filter has become exceedingly popular with Instagram. But these G and PG images aren‘t all that’s being posted by the more than 80 million iPhone and Android owners using the photo-sharing app — some are rated X.

The app, which was purchased by Facebook earlier this year for $1 billion, has already come under fire for hosting “thinspiration” photos, which promotes unhealthy eating disorders and body images. In April, the site instituted a ban on such images wanting to provide a ”positive and healthy community.”

But there are more nefarious tags still being used and treated with Instagram’s trademark filters that “transform [a photo's] look and feel.” The Huffington Post reports some photos on the site being labeled with “sextagram,” “instaporn,” “handbra,” and “instasex.” In fact, while “latte” may have 135,000 photos associated with it, “instasex” has 201,000.

From using the app to post pornographic photos to facilitating actual hook ups, the Huffington Post reports New York University professor Terri Senft saying the recent growth of the site — it has added more than 70 million users in the last year — indicates a changing community:

“Instagram has moved from a niche thing to something people have heard about, and that means it has a critical mass. Whenever you have a critical mass on the internet, the sex shows up,” said Senft, a professor specializing in global media at New York University’s Department of Liberal Studies. “If something bills itself as non-pornographic then becomes that way, to me it’s a sign that it’s reached the public knowledge-base, and now it’s solidly there.”

Instagrams Seedier Side InstaPorn Causes Some Concern for Parents

This image depicts the different Instagram filters over a latte photo. (Image: Wikimedia)

Part of the problem is not that Instagram condones these images — naked and suggestive photos are banned by its usage policy — but how the company goes about policing them. In a recent blog post, Instagram said “we rely on the community to bring to our attention to activity that violates our Community Guidelines.” If the community doesn’t report the photos, they remain visible.

Sarah Perez on Tech Crunch noted earlier this year that with Instagram being considered an “artistic” venue at times, flagging inappropriate images becomes even more problematic:

When is a photo art, versus something encouraging a disease?

[...]

But I find it funny that the services are taking the time to worry about the sad, disturbed kids cutting and starving themselves, and yet, aren’t worried all that much about the fact that they’re hosting teens’ posts and photos alongside some very, very adult content. At least some porn sites have the decency to make kids do a little “what year were you born” math before seeing this kind of stuff.

Just as the social news site reddit had to crack down on pornography and child pornography being shared on its site last year, the Huffington Post noted parents being concerned over Instagram’s seedier side as well:

Parents, in particular, could have cause for concern: Users as young as 13 years old can create Instagram accounts, and an Instagram username is all that is necessary to tap into the app’s “sextagram” underbelly. Michael Sheehan, author of the HighTechDad blog, recounted how a friend of his elementary school-aged daughter was contacted by an Instagram user who asked her to chat with her on Kik. Once they were chatting, the individual “asked to see this child’s privates,” Sheehan wrote.

Even with age restrictions and other measures taken by sites like Instagram, reddit, Facebook and Tumblr, Perez says parents need to realize the sites are “not that concerned about what kids see on their site.”

Comments (21)

  • JQuentinEvermann
    Posted on September 2, 2012 at 12:59pm

    Just a thought…maybe let people do what they want, and if you don’t like what they do, go somewhere else.

    OR…we could police the hell out of everything until everybody acts the way someone else wants them to.

    Facebook turned into a poorly moderated online high school; no surprise that one of its holdings would come to the same finality.

    Report Post » JQuentinEvermann  
  • goengo
    Posted on September 1, 2012 at 1:17pm

    It seems to me that the internet and other new technology has more disadvantages than it does advantages, particularly when you have children.

    Report Post »  
    • HellAndBack
      Posted on September 2, 2012 at 9:13am

      Then it is time for Parents to start getting off their arses and BEING PARENTS!!! It’s not the worlds job to monitor your kid… IT’S YOURS!!!! If your child is stolen it IS your fault. If your Child is RAPED it IS YOUR FAULT… I speak from experience… I vetted the HE!! out of my children’s babysitter, and he still raped my 11-12 daughter for 2 years just by making her think they were in love. His record was clean… THAT WAS STILL MY FAULT!!! As were the subsequent 3 years of prison for CHILD ENDANGERING. She never acted scared and both kids were happy to see him each day. He became a friend and like family… it killed a small part of me to do what I did to him… I‘m only now sorry I didn’t get to finish. I didn’t know he would be missed after only 3 days in my basement. They found him before I could end him. Yeah, It IS the parents fault. Now, help make the world into a single Income family friendly place again or SHUT THE |=UCK UP!!!

      Report Post » HellAndBack  
  • Shrugged
    Posted on September 1, 2012 at 11:01am

    If its a facebook holding – its Insta-sham

    Report Post »  
  • nzkiwi
    Posted on September 1, 2012 at 10:29am

    A billion dollars?

    Really?

    Somebody has more money than brains. Could not a billion dollars have created something of their own? And better? Could not the same thing have been done with a million dollars?

    It reminds me of the moronic art craze in Europe, at the height of which someone paid $100,000 for a dozen wire coathangers hung one from another. And, to cap it off, someone bought a blank canvas (actually, the blank canvas pretty much ended it – people finally realised that they were being royally rogered).

    On the other hand, I’m working on a billion dollar app myself. It’s a thing that helps one create a billion dollar app. Sort of a template which I will update with ideas as I think of them. Or perhaps just a few drunken ramblings when I think of it.

    It will be free, of course, as I’m going for the capital gain (which is untaxed in my country).

    I think it will be very successful. At least until after its sold.

    Report Post »  
  • betsyyoung
    Posted on August 31, 2012 at 1:48pm

    It is sad that there are always those that dirty up everything! Sick!

    Report Post » betsyyoung  
  • IAMIR
    Posted on August 31, 2012 at 1:11pm

    Hey,
    I once took a picture of the village idiot.

    Report Post » IAMIR  
  • thegreatcarnac
    Posted on August 31, 2012 at 1:01pm

    The internet is a marvelous instrument….and it should not be dirtied by unrequested porn and by perverts.

    Report Post »  
  • johnpaulkuchtajr
    Posted on August 31, 2012 at 12:37pm

    Can we simply vow to crucify all child molesters?

    Would that be too much to ask?

    Could you libs please just stand aside and let common sense-driven folks handle the problem.

    We promise NOT to allow them to visit with a clergyman before they go to meet their maker.

    Report Post »  
    • The_Cabrito_Goat
      Posted on August 31, 2012 at 12:58pm

      There are still thousands of uninhabited islands in the Pacific we can relocate them to…

      Report Post » The_Cabrito_Goat  
    • johnpaulkuchtajr
      Posted on August 31, 2012 at 7:51pm

      Hey Cabrito,

      Nothing, but nothing, stirs the soul quite like wittnessing a crucifixtion. Even the slightest inclination in the direction of the offense comitted by the the crucifixee flys away when witnessing the punishment for the act.

      Ask any of the Christians crucified by the MB in Egypt recently. I’d imagine that there were a lot of Muslim converts in Cairo after the crucifixtions began. Go to http://www.wnd.com for coverage because you won’t find it here. I guess that you should suggest to the MB that they export the Christians to a desert island in the Pacific?

      Some how, I bet the MB would tell you to go _ _ it in your hat!

      Report Post »  
  • Case_Logic
    Posted on August 31, 2012 at 12:22pm

    Hmm, more inappropriate/illegal material and more legislation. I think it’s a win win for liberals and politicians alike.

    Report Post » Case_Logic  
  • sWampy
    Posted on August 31, 2012 at 12:16pm

    The idea of taking a photo, making it look like crap and posting it online, is as stupid as taking a beautiful woman, tattooing art on her body that looks like it was drawn by an 8 year old blind ******, assuring she will never be beautiful again.

    Report Post »  
  • biohazard23
    Posted on August 31, 2012 at 11:01am

    Insta-what?

    Report Post » biohazard23  
    • MittensKittens
      Posted on August 31, 2012 at 12:12pm

      insta-stupid!

      Report Post » MittensKittens  
    • billrow
      Posted on August 31, 2012 at 12:18pm

      So there is a site where you can make warhol esque pictures of random stuff and people use it for porn and then use a chat site to try to get sex?

      I‘m pretty tech savvy and I’m still not sure how this insta-gram is any different than other online sharing sites.

      Report Post »  
    • Gumbercules
      Posted on September 2, 2012 at 3:32am

      “Have You Heard of Instagram‘s Growing ’Instasex’ Problem?”
      ______________________________________________

      No I have not, but thank you for introducing it to me. No, really! Thank you very much! :D

      Report Post » Gumbercules  

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