The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has sent Meta a cease-and-desist letter demanding that it stop using the term “PG-13,” as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Last month, Meta announced that teens on Instagram would, by default, only see content that adheres to PG-13 movie ratings. Two weeks later, the MPA sent Meta a cease-and-desist letter, asserting that Meta’s claim that content on teen Instagram accounts would follow PG-13 guidelines is “literally false and highly misleading.”
The company states that its movie-rating system can’t be compared to Meta’s content restrictions, which it says “appear to rely heavily on artificial intelligence.”
“The MPA has worked for decades to earn the public’s trust in its rating system,” said the letter. “Any dissatisfaction with Meta’s automated classification will inevitably cause the public to question the integrity of the MPA’s rating system.”
In response to the letter, Meta stated that it hasn’t claimed its teen accounts were certified by the MPA or officially PG-13 rated. Additionally, the company says its content restrictions are “guided” by PG-13, rather than directly linked to the MPA. Meta also says its use of the term qualifies as fair use.
