Threads’ Recommendation Algorithm Showing Bizarre Posts
Threads, a popular social media platform, has been on the receiving end of jokes from its users about the often bizarre posts suggested by its recommendation algorithm. However, some users have begun to notice a new type of strange post appearing in their suggestions: posts from random individuals seeking "friends."

These posts typically feature selfies of young people claiming to be 18 years old. Engadget has observed numerous such posts appearing in the "related threads" feature, which surfaces recommended content to logged-out users. What’s unclear is why these posts are being suggested as "related" to other popular recommended posts.

For instance, a post about Spotify from popular Threads user Chris Messina was suggested on Threads’ home feed to logged-out users. Upon clicking into the post, a "related" post from Threads head Adam Mosseri appeared. Underneath that post, however, was another "related" post from an account claiming to be an 18-year-old girl in 11th grade.

Example of Bizarre Posts
As can be seen in the screenshot, Threads seems to be surfacing many other such posts in its "related threads" feature. For example, another post was recommended as a "related" post elsewhere in the app, featuring a photo followed by a WhatsApp link. Upon inspecting the user’s profile, it became apparent that they had posted the same thing over 30 times in the last five days.

More Examples of Spam Posts
Other examples of such posts have been observed, including one that was recently recommended as a "related" thread underneath one of the author’s own posts while logged out. Another Redditor reported seeing a strange post that appeared as a recommendation on Instagram, featuring a selfie of a woman with the words "I need a bf Age don’t mind." A quick look at that user’s profile revealed that they had posted dozens of times with that same caption over the last week.

Spam on Meta’s Apps
The presence of spam on a platform the size of Threads is not unexpected, given its growth to over 350 million users. Meta exec Adam Mosseri acknowledged an increase in "spam attacks" in July 2023, not long after the service launched. Last year, the company stated that it was working to get "engagement bait" under control. However, it’s bizarre that the app is recommending these posts so frequently. Meta confirmed that spammy posts should not be featured as recommended content in the app.

Redditor’s Experience
A Redditor reported seeing numerous posts like this in their recommendations on Threads, stating, "Literally every time the suggested Threads window shows up, I have to scroll through 2-4 posts like this before seeing something normal." Despite reporting and marking these posts as "not interested," they continue to appear.

Ongoing Spam Campaign
The posts seem to be related to some kind of ongoing spam campaign. The exact same selfie and text flagged by the Redditor were shared by at least one other Threads account. Searches on Threads reveal numerous other accounts almost constantly sharing posts saying "age doesn’t matter" or "don’t mind age."

Call to Action
Have you seen posts like this in your recommendations on Threads? Get in touch at karissa.bell [at] engadget.com or on Signal at karissabe.51.