Yes.
There is porn on Instagram.
Despite Instagram’s “no-nudity” policy, anyone who uses the platform knows that Instagram does a pretty bad job at enforcing this policy.
Sometimes, you don’t even have to go out of your way to find it.
A study by the Wall Street Journal discovered that Instagram even recommends these sexualized videos to younger audiences (some only 13 years old)!
That’s why in this article, we’re not so much going to answer if there’s porn on Instagram. Everyone that uses the platform knows there is.
Instead, we’ll take a look at why there’s porn on Instagram, how children can find porn on Instagram, and steps that you can take as a parent to block sexual images on Instagram for your children.
Let’s get into it!
Why Is There Porn on Instagram?
Have you ever wondered why people post porn on Instagram?
Well, the simple answer is that most people do this to try and get you to visit another website.
Whether that’s a spam website that infects and destroys your computer or a pornographic website where they somehow make money from your visit — the goal is usually to get you off Instagram and onto their website.
In fact, OnlyFans creators use Instagram as a “thirst trap” to lure people off of Instagram and onto their personal pages.
People can post porn directly on Instagram despite the platform’s community guidelines because of the millions of user-generated content, sneaky hashtags, and private messaging.
These make it very difficult for Instagram to take down all sexual content.
Instagram’s Community Guidelines say that nudity is not allowed on the platform, which includes photos, videos, and some digitally created content of:
- Sexual intercourse
- Genitals
- Close-ups of fully nude buttocks
- Pictures of female nipples (except in the context of breastfeeding, giving birth, after-birth, health-related situations, and acts of protest)
- Nude or partially nude children
However, nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is considered okay.
So why can you still find photos that violate these guidelines on the platform?
Well, there are roughly 500 MILLION daily active users on Instagram.
And according to some estimates, about 100 MILLION photos and videos are shared on the platform every single day.
While Instagram should monitor these posts and block all nudity, you have to admit that monitoring 100,000,000 posts daily is no easy task.
To make matters worse, people always find the most clever ways to bypass Instagram’s detection.
From dancing with the specifics of the community guidelines to blurring out the tiniest of details, people who promote porn on Instagram have found innovative ways to get around the filters.
Not only that, but there are also direct messages (DMs) on Instagram.
People who post porn often send explicit images or their links through DMs to avoid being detected by Instagram.
How Children Might Encounter Explicit Content on Instagram
In order to protect your child from porn on Instagram, it’s important to know where they might run into this content first.
Sure, you can always follow accounts that post very suggestive content.
But a lot of times, even if you don’t follow these accounts, you’ll still run into suggestive and explicit content on Instagram in these four places:
Place #1: Explore Page
The Explore page can be both a wonderful and terrible thing at the same time.
Wonderful because it exposes you to new content from a plethora of different creators.
The Instagram algorithm also takes note of what you enjoy watching and makes sure that your Explore page is filled with content that you enjoy.
But here’s the thing.
Every now and then, Instagram adds content that a lot of people are looking at on your Explore page.
And what do a lot of people look at?
That’s right, suggestive and explicit content.
To make matters worse, if you or your child views this content at its full length, this signals Instagram’s algorithm to send you even MORE adult content.
Place #2: Sneaky Hashtags
Another sneaky way to find porn on Instagram is by using hashtags.
A simple hashtag like #Porn is no doubt going to be banned by Instagram.
However, hashtags like #hot or #sexy are not downright explicit. Yes, there are going to be a lot of suggestive images in these hashtags, but mixed in with these are going to be a couple of explicit images that shouldn’t be on the platform at all.
And then there are hashtags that say “Porn” but in different languages. These hashtags are much harder for Instagram to detect and ban — and these are exactly the type of hashtags porn posters use to spread their content.
Place #3: Bot Comments
Popular Instagram pages sometimes moderate their comment sections.
But when they don’t?
A whole army of bot accounts pour in, writing suggestive comments and trying to get people to head to their profile (where a whole bunch of explicit content awaits).
Bot comments are not only annoying, but they’re also one of the main places to find porn on Instagram.
Place #4: Direct Messages
Last but not least, direct messages or DMs are one of the biggest danger zones for your child.
DMs are much less regulated than public posts.
By default, messages from accounts you don’t follow will land in your Message Requests inbox (rather than your main inbox). However, it’s still a very easy way for porn posters to spam explicit material to many different accounts.
What’s more, some posters are much more clever.
Rather than sending you an explicit message right away, they try to build trust by sending a harmless message first. But once you reply, they start sending you sexual images right away.
Instagram also has a feature called Vanish Mode for messages. On Vanish Mode, messages disappear the moment they are seen.
This allows people to send graphic images through DMs without ever being spotted by Instagram.
How Parents Can Protect Their Children From Instagram Porn
By now, you’re probably beginning to realize just how BIG of a problem Instagram porn can be.
Even if you aren’t looking for it, the porn may somehow find its way to you.
But don’t fret!
There are ways that you can protect your children from porn on Instagram.
Here’s how.
Method #1: Use Instagram’s Built-in Settings
This is the easiest option to go for. However, keep in mind that there are several workarounds for this method.
Privacy control settings on Instagram are available and some will soon be automatic in January of 2025 for children under age 16. For now, you’ll want to adjust their account’s privacy settings, their interaction settings, and Instagram’s Sensitive Content Control.
Privacy Settings
For privacy settings, you’ll want to make the account private (rather than public). This ensures that random people can’t see and follow your account (they’ll need to request to follow first).
Here’s how to do this:
- Click on the account’s profile picture on the bottom-left of the screen
- Click on the three lines on the top right of the screen (this should open account settings)
- Click on Account Privacy
- Switch from Public Account to Private Account
Interaction Settings
Aside from the privacy settings, you may also want to limit how other accounts can interact with your account.
You can block people you don’t follow from sending you messages, tagging you in posts, mentioning you in stories, and a bunch more.
You can find these settings by:
- Clicking on the account’s profile picture on the bottom-left of the screen
- Clicking on the three lines on the top right of the screen (this should open account settings)
- Scrolling to the “How others interact with you” section and adjusting the settings there
Sensitive Content Control
“Sensitive content” is content that doesn’t breach Instagram’s guidelines but may be considered controversial. To steer clear of this, you can adjust your account settings by:
- Clicking on your profile picture on the bottom-left of the screen
- Clicking on the three lines on the top right of the screen (this should open account settings)
- Selecting “Suggested Content”
- Tapping on “Sensitive Content”
- Changing the setting from “Standard” to “Less”
Method #2: Monitor Your Child’s Account
Porn is so rampant on Instagram, you’ll definitely want to monitor your child’s account very regularly.
With the new Instagram “Teen Account” settings being updated in January of 2025, you can check to see who your child has messaged in the past seven day. However, you won’t be able to read those messages.
Here’s a quick checklist of ways that you can do this:
- Check Who They’re Following – Make sure that they are only following people they know and accounts that can be trusted.
- Check Who Follows Them – Also, check who might be following your child. If they don’t know someone, you can remove them from following your child.
- Block Accounts That Post Explicit Content – If you ever find explicit content on your child’s account, be sure to report it to Instagram and block the account right away!
As much as possible, you’ll want to do this without breaking your child’s trust.
It’s very important to talk with your child about the many dangers of social media and make them understand that you are doing this to protect them. Important topics include sexting, cyberbullying, sextortion, and the dangers of AI apps.
Be sure to tell them that sexting is never private due to screenshots. In addition, be very clear that you are a safe person to tell if they make an online mistake.
Method #3: Use External Apps
There are generally two types of apps that can help protect your child from porn on Instagram.
These are porn blockers and accountability apps.
Porn Blockers
Porn blockers are self-explanatory.
These apps restrict access porn. When you try to view porn, it doesn’t allow you to.
Good porn blockers like Bulldog Blocker don’t only block you from accessing adult websites, but they can also detect explicit images on non-adult websites and social media.
That’s why even as you scroll through Instagram, a good porn blocker should cover up any graphic photos or videos that slip through the cracks of Instagram’s community standards.
Accountability Apps
Accountability apps take a different approach from porn blockers.
Instead of blocking the porn, it instead takes screenshots of your device activity and sends these to your accountability partner.
This can greatly discourage you from viewing porn or explicit images. After all, porn is a problem that thrives in secrecy. If someone was looking over your shoulder, you probably wouldn’t want to look at porn, would you?
For parents with children over age 13, accountability apps like Ever Accountable can be very helpful to protect their children from the dangers of social media.
It allows you to monitor what they’re viewing, and it also alerts you if they’re viewing explicit or suggestive content. This opens the door for you to have a discussion with your children about why viewing these things is so dangerous and damaging.
Best of all, Ever Accountable has a 14-day free trial, so you can test it out yourself today!
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Conclusion - Be Careful Around Instagram!
Instagram can be a wonderful app.
However, with millions of people using the platform, there are bound to be some people with bad intentions.
That’s why it’s very important that you protect your children!
Letting them go on Instagram unmonitored can cause a lot of problems.
But now that you know where these problems lie and how to avoid them, you can better understand what steps to take to protect your children. Because of the ability to send DMs without parents’ ability to read them, you should never assume your child is safe on Instagram, even with safety nets in place. Keep those conversation lines open!
