Pinterest and the „harmful to minors“ scandal clip
Sometimes you wonder whether certain platforms would still recognize common sense if it were sitting right in front of them. Pinterest has managed to classify a harmless clip - two young guys hugging, one sitting on the other's lap, done - as „harmful to minors“.
Yes, exactly: no nudity, no violence, no excess. Just closeness. And that's supposed to be dangerous now? If this sets a precedent, we will soon have to put family parties under youth protection, ban grandmas from their grandchildren's laps and classify sofas as „high-risk furniture“.
We have the clip and the first reaction to this absurd incident for you here so you can decide for yourself whether Pinterest has reinvented the morality police or just ended up in the wrong movie.
You can find the full article in Gaymill Magazine. It will be continued.
Today I received an email from Pinterest: The pin has been restored. So my complaint was successful; yes, Pinterest admits the mistake. However, there was no mention of an apology.
August 25, 2025
PIN ID: 1127025875491388670
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1127025875491388670/
Saved on: "Junx""
Status: Restored
What does that mean?
Your complaint has been reviewed. Based on the information provided, we have
Your PIN has been restored.
We reached this decision because the pin did not violate Pinterest's guidelines.
or, where applicable, local laws.
Troubleshooting
If you are resident in the European Union, you can also take the dispute to a
to be brought before an out-of-court arbitration body operating under the Digital Services Act
is certified, or file a legal remedy in court in accordance with our terms and conditions.
You can find more information in our Help Center: https://help.pinterest.com or on the
EU Commission website:
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/de/policies/dsa-out-court-dispute-settlement.
You can find more information in our Community Guidelines at
https://policy.pinterest.com/community-guidelines or in our Help Center at
https://help.pinterest.com/article/digital-services-act.
Enforcement ID: e881a9b6-c390-4a6b-91f2-f82db65b60d1
Pinterest. Inc, 651 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA, 94107----
June 18, 2024
At Pinterest, we are working intensively on measures against harmful content. That's why we have the
Distribution of your saved PIN is limited.
PIN ID: 1127025875491388670
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1127025875491388670/
Saved on: "Junx""
Status: Limited distribution
What does that mean?
This means that the pin will be visible to users in places like search, the home feed, or the
Notifications are not proactively recommended.
How was this violation detected?
We discovered this violation through our own investigation.
We made this decision using a hybrid method. This means that a
It has been determined that content on Pinterest violates the guidelines, and that
automated systems have contributed to expanding this decision to counteract it.
to enforce machine-identified matching PINs like yours.
Which policy was violated?
This pin violates our community guidelines regarding adult content.
Troubleshooting
If you believe that we have taken incorrect action, you can
within 6 months of receiving this notification via your Reports and Violations Portal
File a complaint. More information on how to file a complaint.
You can find more information in our Help Center:
https://help.pinterest.com/article/review-your-reports-and-violations/.
If you are resident in the European Union, you can also take the dispute to a
to be brought before an out-of-court arbitration body operating under the Digital Services Act
is certified, or file a legal remedy in court in accordance with our terms and conditions.
You can find more information in our Help Center:
https://help.pinterest.com/de/article/digital-services-act or on the website of
EU Commission:
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/de/policies/dsa-out-court-dispute-settlement.
You can review your profile and boards and remove any other content that
violate our community guidelines or local laws. Should we have further
We reserve the right to take further action against any content we discover that violates our terms and conditions or the law.
We will take measures against your account, such as deactivating the account.
You can find more information in our Community Guidelines at
https://policy.pinterest.com/community-guidelines or in our Help Center at
https://help.pinterest.com/article/digital-services-act.
Enforcement ID: 24f34da4-316c-4985-aba5-7cd12f204fef
Pinterest. Inc, 651 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA, 9410
Apparently, entries are checked manually. But that looks like an automated process, not a human reaction. Luckily, it was a close call. I think an apology is in order.