Facebook took down a beautiful photo of a breastfeeding Angelica Panganiban and we are puzzled

An inquiry on the social media giant’s policies.
Oct 12, 2023
Angelica Panganiban
PHOTO: Andrea Genota

When Smart Parenting launched the first-ever cover of The Homans–Angelica Panganiban, her fiance Gregg Homan, and their daughter Amila Sabine–the last thing we expected was a takedown from social media giant Facebook.

The image of a breastfeeding Angelica deserved a spot in a highly influential platform, where millions of growing families could relate to that beautiful, unfiltered moment between a mother and her child. The original post about Smart Parenting’s October 2023 Cover however remains on Instagram, which incidentally is under Facebook’s Parent company, Meta.

Angelica Panganiban poses for Smart Parenting

Facebook attributed the takedown of the photos to a supposed violation of community standards, citing spam links as the culprit. While it insisted these rules were placed to maintain a respectful environment, this incident got us wondering: are these policies more of a hindrance than a help?

The Smart Parenting October 2023 Cover depicted breastfeeding, which although one of humanity’s best moments, remains a subject of debate in social media spaces. Facebook acknowledges the importance of breastfeeding in its Community Standards and expresses support for mothers who share their breastfeeding journeys. But the takedown shows otherwise.

According to Facebook, most breastfeeding photos align with their policies, and that it is committed to fostering a diverse and compassionate online community. However, the takedown prompts us to ask whether the reporting system effectively maintains a respectful environment or if it can inadvertently lead to the suppression of content that should be celebrated.

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We can only theorize. In the case of breastfeeding images, the algorithm may have misinterpreted certain visual elements as spam links or explicit content, leading to automatic removals. This highlights the need for a more nuanced approach to content moderation that combines the power of technology with human understanding.

It's also essential to clarify that this issue goes beyond lactivism or pitting breastfeeding against other forms of parenting. It's about recognizing that the digital space should accommodate diverse narratives of motherhood, including those that embrace breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, or any other nurturing method. Facebook's algorithm must evolve to be more discerning in understanding the context and intent behind such images to avoid silencing the voices of mothers who wish to share their experiences authentically.

The removal of such an image, produced by a legitimate, 20-year-old publication, exposes a gap in Facebook's content moderation system. Content is being taken down without a full understanding of the context or consideration of the message it conveys. Whatever happened to inclusivity and support for diverse communities that Facebook strives to uphold?

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While Facebook says it has taken steps toward promoting inclusivity, there remains an ever-expanding horizon of understanding the profound importance of content that authentically portrays the beauty and truths of motherhood. After all, it's a journey that deserves to be shared, celebrated, and remembered.

Read Smart Parenting's October 2023 cover story on The Homans' here.

This story originally appeared on Smart Parenting.

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PHOTO: Andrea Genota
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