COLUMBUS — WRTV Investigates is tracking complaints from Instagram and Facebook users who say they were wrongly accused of violating the app’s policies, including child sexual exploitation standards.
“Just in shock”: Columbus teacher accused of child sexual exploitation violations
Amy Ladaw-Ortiz is a teacher, mother and a pastor’s wife living in Columbus, Indiana.
She’s lived all over the world doing mission work and relies on social media to keep in touch.
“I check in on friends from many of the places I’ve lived,” said Amy. “I post pictures of my kids.”
On June 10, Amy received an Instagram notification that said, “Your Instagram account has been suspended. This is because your account or activity on it does not follow our community standards on Child Sexual Exploitation abuse and nudity.”
“I was like, what?” said Amy. “I was like, what happened? I was just in shock.”
When she got the notification, she had just sent a link about an online education opportunity to a 16-year-old church member.
“The irony of it is I get this message while I’m at church,” said Amy. “All I was trying to do was help somebody, and now I’ve lost all of these memories.”
Amy showed WRTV Investigates how she could not get into her Facebook account either because it’s linked to her Instagram.
“The irony of it is I’m trying to help people,” said Amy. “This is how we communicate. To lose that, it really felt like I lost part of myself.”
Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, does not have a customer service phone number.
Amy said her only option was to file an online appeal with Instagram on June 10.
“I would love to be able to get my account back,” Amy told WRTV Investigates on August 12.
“It was not me”: Vincennes business owner says Meta accused her of violating community standards
Kayleigh May of Vincennes owns a shop called “Lady May the Hippie Way.”
She uses Facebook to communicate with her customers.
“To let people know what’s going on, our hours, people message about visiting,” said May. “It’s huge.”
May said she received an email saying another email address had been added to her account.
Even though she removed it, she says someone hacked into her Facebook account and posted inappropriate content.
“I wake up at 6 a.m. to my brother calling me, who works at Toyota at night, saying I think someone has hacked your business page,” said May.
May was able to chat online with Meta, which told her it was her fault for posting against the community guidelines.
“I did not,” said May. “I was asleep.”
May has posted on TikTok about her experience and is urging Meta to change its practices.
Federal Trade Commission receives complaints from Instagram and Facebook users
WRTV Investigates filed a records request with the Federal Trade Commission, a federal agency that oversees Meta.
We found complaints filed by Meta users across the world, saying they were wrongfully accused of violating community standards.
- “The system claimed that I had violated community guidelines related to child sexual exploitation nudity, which is entirely false,” reported one Meta user in Taiwan. “I have never posted any such content.”
- “This is extremely serious and has caused harm to my reputation, my mental well-being and business,” wrote a consumer in New York. “I want to state clearly and unequivocally I have never posted, engaged in, shared, or participated in anything even remotely related to such behavior.”
- “On June 3, 2025, both my Facebook and Instagram accounts were permanently disabled,” read another complaint filed with the FTC. “I was accused of violating Meta's Community Standards, specifically regarding child sexual exploitation, abuse, and nudity, which are extremely serious and harmful accusations.”
The FTC has not yet agreed to speak with WRTV about what it's doing to address the problem.
More than 36,000 people have signed an online petition that blames Meta’s AI moderation system.
Brittany Watson founded People Over Platforms Worldwide, a nonprofit pushing Meta to make changes.
“These platforms wanted us to put our lives online, and now that we have, we shouldn’t be able to have our accounts disabled or suspended, especially with no proof or transparency as to why,” said Watson.
Watson has heard from consumers all over the world who are locked out of their accounts and have been unable to reach Meta to resolve the situation.
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"I want them to actually acknowledge the harm this is doing to thousands of people,” said Watson. “I want them to change their AI system."
“People can appeal”: Meta issues response to WRTV Investigates
WRTV Investigates contacted Meta for a response to the petition and consumer complaints.
“We take action on accounts that violate our policies, and people can appeal if they think we've made a mistake,” read a statement from Meta.
According to data on their website, Meta is taking a decreasing number of actions for child sexual exploitation compared to peaks in fall 2023 and summer 2024.
The technology company says it uses a combination of people and technology to find and remove accounts that break its rules.
Meta told us they’re always working to improve enforcement of their policies, including their child nudity and exploitation policy, to help keep the community system.
The company admits that no system is perfect, which is why they give people the opportunity to appeal if a user feels Meta got it wrong.
Meta told WRTV Investigates they have not seen a significant increase in incorrect enforcement of the rules.
If Meta finds an account or piece of content that was removed in error, they restore it, the company told WRTV.
WRTV Investigates sent Meta information about Kayleigh May and Amy Ladaw-Ortiz’s accounts.
Within hours, Amy’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were restored.
Meta told us Amy’s accounts were removed incorrectly, and Amy also received a notification that her activity does follow community standards on child sexual exploitation.
“Thank you so much,” said Amy. “I tried so many different things. It wasn’t until WRTV stepped in and started investigating why these accounts were closed. Now I have my accounts back, nine weeks later.”
As of now, Kayleigh May is still locked out of her social media accounts, but Meta says they are working on it.
Tips from the Identity Theft Resource Center
- Never share your password or any personal information with anyone else. Right now, scammers are playing on people’s emotions and building trust with their victims, so much trust that some people are turning over their PII. While scammers can be persuasive, passwords, PINS, codes or any other type of sensitive information should never be shared with anyone.
- Make sure your password is strong. Use a 12+ character unique passphrase because it makes it more difficult for hackers to crack your account. Also, passphrases are easier for you to remember.
- Use two-factor authentication (2FA) on your account. 2FA gives you an added layer of security, making it harder for criminals to hack your Instagram account. To use 2FA on Instagram, go to “Settings,” “Security,” and tap “Two-Factor Authentication.” Tap “Get Started” and select either “Authentication App” or “Text Message.” The ITRC recommends you use an authentication app because text messages can be spoofed.
- Make sure the email associated with the account is secure. A secure email account is an account that has security enhancements to offer more protection. If it is not secure, it could make it a lot easier for hackers to access your account and any other accounts associated with that email. It is also a good idea to secure your email with 2FA.
- Don’t download third-party apps within a social media platform. If third-party apps have your information, you may not know where it is being stored or how it is being stored. It is another place for hackers to get their hands on your valuable Instagram account credentials. Only download applications from the recognized application stores from Apple, Google and Microsoft.
If you believe your Instagram account has been hacked, there are steps for you to take:
- Visit Instagram’s account support website for hacked accounts. If you cannot log in to your account, enter Instagram.com/Hacked on your device. Next, select if you think you’ve been hacked, forgot your password, lost access to two-factor authentication or if your account has been disabled. From there, you can follow several steps to regain access to your account.
- Verify your identity with two Instagram “friends”. In 2022, Instagram began to test ways for people to ask their friends to confirm their identity to regain access to their account. This option is now available to everyone. Read here for more information.
- Check your email account for a message from Instagram. If you received an email from security@mail.instagram.com that says your email address was changed, you might be able to undo this change by selecting “revert this change” in that message. If additional information was also changed (like your password), and you’re unable to change back your email address, request a login link or security code from Instagram.
- Request a login link from Instagram. To help Instagram confirm that you own the account, you can request that they send a login link to your email address or phone number. To request a login link:
- On the login screen, tap “Get help logging in” (Android) or “Forgot password” (iPhone).
- Enter the username, email address or phone number associated with your account, then tap “Next.” If you don’t know the username, email address or phone number associated with your account, tap “Need more help?” below the “Next” button and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Select either your email address or phone number, then tap “Send Login Link.”
- Click the login link in your email or a text message (SMS) and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Request a security code or support from Instagram. If you cannot recover your account with the login link sent to you, you may be able to request support for your hacked Instagram account. For more information on how to do this, visit Instagram’s Help Center for step-by-step instructions.
