Meta's Oversight Board has decided to keep two Facebook posts about an extreme fruit juice diet while suggesting that the company limits the monetization of such content. This recommendation follows ongoing research into social media's impact on eating disorders.
Decision on Controversial Diet Posts
Meta's Oversight Board has announced its decision to uphold the company's choice to keep two posts on Facebook that detailed a Thai woman's exclusive fruit juice diet.
However, they have recommended that Meta restrict the monetization of similar "extreme and harmful diet-related content" on the platform.
Engadget reported that this action comes as researchers continue to grapple with the complex connection between social media and eating disorders.
In the Oversight Board's ruling, they specifically addressed two videos posted in late 2022 and 2023 by the same account, which had been reported by users for their harmful content.
These videos featured discussions about life, culture, and food in Thailand, with a man conducting interviews in Italian with a woman who had undergone "a diet consisting only of fruit juice" in both instances.
Substantial Impacts of the Videos
This decision highlights the substantial impact of the videos. The initial video features the woman discussing her experience, noting improvements in mental focus, skin quality, bowel movements, happiness, and an overall sense of lightness since adopting the diet.
In the follow-up video, posted approximately five months later, the woman provides an update on her year-long adherence to the risky diet. She mentions appearing youthful for her age, not losing any more weight except for some impurities, and even encourages the interviewer to try the diet.
These videos have collectively garnered over two million views and received more than 15,000 comments. Additionally, they divulged information about the woman's Facebook page, which witnessed a substantial increase in engagement following the second post.
The Oversight Board's summary notes that the woman's Facebook page boasts 17,000 followers and focuses on her lifestyle, including her dietary choices.
Both the content creator and the woman's Facebook page participated in Meta's Partner Monetization Program, enabling them to profit from potentially harmful guidance.
After these videos were flagged by concerned users, Meta's team of human reviewers assessed the content and concluded that they did not contravene Facebook's Suicide and Self-Injury Community Standard.
Consequently, the videos remained accessible on Facebook. Subsequently, distinct users lodged appeals for each video to Meta's Oversight Board.
The board's choice not to remove the videos predominantly hinged on the absence of specific violations of the Suicide and Self-Injury Community Standard, rather than a belief that the content was innocuous.
The Oversight Board has proposed that Meta revise its monetization policies to more effectively align with its human rights obligations pertaining to "problematic diet-related content. A majority of the board views the present allowance of such content as evident and worrisome.
As per Gizmodo, Meta has affirmed that since the Oversight Board upheld its choice to retain both posts, it will not pursue any additional actions regarding this matter or the content in question.
The company has also expressed its intention to scrutinize the suggestion regarding demonetization. A Meta representative informed Engadget that they will address "the entirety of the recommendations in our Transparency Center" within a 60-day timeframe.
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