The Public Prosecutor’s Office of São Paulo has filed a lawsuit against Instagram to request information about the platform’s alleged failure to act in the face of online casino advertisements produced and aimed at children.

This type of advertising has even started to be done by young influencers. A report in Folha de S. Paulo published this week cited the profile of a six-year-old girl, with three million followers, who advertises the game.

The complaint was filed by the Alana Institute , a social organization focused on protecting children and young people. According to the institute, the social network was not only allowing but also enabling the publications.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office document highlights as alleged abusive and illegal practices the advertising of products and services characterized as gambling and harm to the physical and psychological integrity of children and adolescents.

The text also mentions the advertisement of products and services for children under 12 years of age and which feature children or adolescents as protagonists, without observing the legal standards relating to artistic child labor.

Instagram has 20 days to respond to complaints, stating:

• Concrete measures adopted to prevent children and adolescents from being exposed to the promotion and dissemination of online gambling;
• Content control mechanisms implemented against illegal and abusive advertising aimed at children and young people;
• registration data of those responsible for the profiles indicated in the complaint.

According to Annex X of the National Advertising Self-Regulation Council (Conar), the broadcasting of sports betting advertising aimed at children is prohibited.

Instagram Response

In a note sent to CNN Brasil, the Meta group, responsible for Instagram, stated that it does not allow children under 13 on its platforms, except in cases of accounts managed by a guardian.

According to the company, content potentially aimed at minors under 18 years of age that attempts to promote online games involving monetary values ​​is prohibited. They emphasize that posts of this nature have been removed.

“We use a combination of technology and human reviewers to identify content and accounts that violate our policies, and we are always working to improve our approach to maintain a safe environment for everyone,” he said.