Accordingly, the platform will prioritize posts created by users themselves. With this change, accounts re-posting photos without sufficient editing differences may be restricted from distribution. Meta said that if an account mainly posts Reels, photos or posts with many photos not created by themselves, or without significant editing, the content will be difficult to suggest to new users.
This is Meta's latest step to handle "synthetic" accounts that specialize in reposting other people's content. Previously, in 2024, Instagram reduced display for Reels reused accounts, but did not apply it to photos and posts with many photos. Meta also implemented similar measures on Facebook to promote high-quality content.
However, Meta admits that the new regulation may cause difficulties for meme accounts, fanpages or comments, which often reuse content to participate in discussions. The company recommends that these accounts need to create their own value by creative editing, adding narration or graphics. "Over-the-top" edits such as watermarking or writing source will not be enough to be considered original content.
Meta said that creators can check their account status on Instagram to see if content is restricted from access, and can complain if they believe the system is rating incorrectly.
