Facebook-owned Instagram has removed Pornhub’s account from its platform amid accusations that the Canadian-owned website is facilitating child pornography on its website.
The pornographic company had 13.1 million followers and over 6,200 posts on its account before its removal, according to Variety.
It is not immediately clear why Pornhub’s account was banned by the Facebook-owned company, now known as Meta.
While the company did not share nudity on the account – which would have violated Instagram policy – it “directly promoted pornography” has encouraged followers to become pornographic performers through caribou promotion videos, according to Dawna Hawkins, CEO of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“Instagram is courageously choosing to stop partnering with Pornhub, and it is time for all corporate entities to follow its example,” Hawkins said via Variety.
An anti-porn and sex trafficking activist’s viral screenshot on Twitter appears to indicate that a complaint was sent to Instagram on June 1. However, the supposed content of the complaint is unknown, and it remains unverified whether it led to Instagram deleting the account.
Pornhub’s accounts on Twitter and YouTube still remain.
The Canadian-owned company has faced allegations that it has promoted child pornography on its platform and exploited sex trafficking victims.
In August, Visa and Mastercard suspended card payments for advertising with Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek regarding the allegations it has allowed child pornography on its platform, Breitbart News noted.
Studies have indicated that viewing Pornography has disastrous consequences, including affecting the viewer’s love life while bringing about significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.
On Thursday, Grammy Award-winning artist Kanye West stated on his Instagram account that “Pornography destroyed my family.” He added, “I deal with the addiction instagram promotes it Not gonna let it happen to Northy and Chicago [his two daughters].”
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.