Meta under fire: Why Instagram users say they can't unfollow Donald Trump and JD Vance

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is under fire after social media users, including celebrities like Demi Lovato and Gracie Abrams, accused the platform of automatically refollowing official accounts of US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and First Lady Melania Trump.

Abrams, on her Instagram story, said she had to unfollow the @vp and @potus accounts three times because the platform kept refollowing them. "How curious!" the singer wrote. "Had to block them in order to make sure I am nowhere near that."

Demi Lovato expressed a similar frustration, saying, "I have unfollowed this guy twice today," referencing President Trump.

Meta denies allegations
Meta has denied the claims, asserting that users were not forced to follow the accounts. According to company spokesperson Andy Stone, the transition of official Instagram and Facebook accounts for the President, Vice President, and First Lady happens with every administration.

"People were not made to automatically follow any of the official Facebook or Instagram accounts for the President, Vice President, or First Lady," Stone posted on X. "This is the same procedure we followed during the last presidential transition."

Stone explained that follow and unfollow requests might take time to process due to the transition. However, this hasn't stopped users from raising concerns about Meta’s handling of these accounts.

Broader scepticism over Meta's policies
The controversy comes amid growing criticism of Meta for its perceived rightward shift in policy. Some users noted this week that the hashtag #Democrat was blocked on Instagram, further fueling scepticism about the platform's neutrality.

Stone said the issue was part of a broader problem affecting multiple hashtags across the platform, not just those associated with left-leaning content.