Meta Platforms has sparked outrage after using images of underage schoolgirls mostly teens in advertisements for its Threads platform that were targeted specifically at a 37-year-old man, with parents condemning the practice as disgusting and exploitative.

A London based instagram app user has revealed: “Mostly students are at the age of 13 and in stockings or wearing skirts alongside showing names and convincing me to get Threads.”

“Which feels deliberately provocative and ultimately exploitative of the children and families involved,” the observer further continued his remarks, reported by The Guardian.

Father of social media platform victim expressed: “When I found out an image of her has been exploited in what felt like a sexualised way by a massive company like that to market their product it left me feeling quite disgusted.”

All the promoted content exclusively featured schoolgirls in uniforms with short skirts, with no similar images of boys appearing in the targeted advertisements.

Meta spokesperson shared: “The images shared do not violate our policies and are back-to-school photos posted publicly by parents.”

Official noted that company systems theoretically prevent recommending Threads content shared by teenagers themselves, though these restrictions don’t apply to posts made from adult accounts.

Parents expressed shock and anger upon learning their personal photos had been repurposed for commercial promotion without their knowledge or consent.

One mother reported her account was set to private, but the posts automatically cross-posted to Threads where they became publicly visible.

Another said her daughter’s image reached nearly 7,000 views, 90% from non-followers, predominantly men over 44, despite her typically modest follower count of 267.

The incident has raised urgent questions about compliance with Ofcom’s new illegal harms codes, implemented this summer to prevent unknown adults from connecting with children online.