The Motion Picture Association has sent Meta a cease-and-desist letter demanding that it stop using the term “PG-13.” This development was 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 after that announcement, the MPA sent the letter to Meta. The MPA asserts that Meta’s claim about teen Instagram accounts following PG-13 guidelines is literally false and highly misleading.
The MPA states that its movie-rating system cannot be compared to Meta’s content restrictions, which it says appear to rely heavily on artificial intelligence. The association’s letter explained that it has worked for decades to earn the public’s trust in its rating system. It expressed concern that any dissatisfaction with Meta’s automated classification will inevitably cause the public to question the integrity of the MPA’s own system.
In response to the letter, Meta stated that it has not claimed its teen accounts were certified by the MPA or officially PG-13 rated. The company says its content restrictions are merely guided by the PG-13 concept, rather than being directly linked to the MPA. Meta also says its use of the term qualifies as fair use.