Emerging Social Platform UpScrolled Faces Critical Content Moderation Crisis Amid Rapid User Growth

UpScrolled, a social networking platform that experienced exponential growth following TikTok's ownership transition in the United States, is currently grappling with significant content moderation challenges. After scaling to over 2.5 million users in January, the platform has demonstrated inadequate enforcement capabilities regarding hate speech, racial slurs, and extremist content.

Critical Moderation Failures Identified

Independent verification has confirmed the presence of extensive policy violations across the platform, including:

• Usernames containing racial slurs and hate speech
• Hashtags incorporating offensive language
• Content glorifying historical hate figures
• Text posts featuring discriminatory language
• Photo and video content promoting extremist ideologies

Despite receiving detailed reports with supporting documentation, accounts violating the platform's terms of service remained active for multiple days following notification to UpScrolled's official channels.

Third-Party Concerns and Platform Scale

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) published an independent assessment this month, highlighting UpScrolled's emerging role as a host for antisemitic content, extremist material, and content from designated foreign terrorist organizations, including Hamas and similar entities.

According to market intelligence provider Appfigures, the platform has accumulated over 4 million downloads across iOS and Android since June 2025—exceeding the company's self-reported metrics from the previous month.

Platform Policy vs. Implementation Gap

Founded in 2025, UpScrolled positions itself as offering every user "equal power" in content distribution. While the platform's FAQ documentation states it does not "censor opinions," its official policy explicitly restricts:

• Illegal activity
• Hate speech
• Bullying and harassment
• Explicit nudity
• Unlicensed copyrighted material
• Content designed to cause harm

This policy framework aligns with industry-standard social media guidelines, yet implementation has proven inadequate during the platform's rapid scaling phase.

Official Response and Remediation Efforts

In official communications, UpScrolled acknowledged the moderation challenges and outlined mitigation strategies. Founder Issam Hijazi confirmed that users have uploaded "harmful content" violating the platform's terms of service and core values.

The company has committed to implementing the following measures:

1. Rapid expansion of the content moderation team
2. Infrastructure upgrades to enhance automated detection capabilities
3. Improved systems for identifying and removing policy-violating content

"We are offering everyone the freedom to express and share their opinions in a healthy and respectful digital environment," Hijazi stated in a video response addressing the moderation issues.

This situation reflects a common challenge faced by rapidly scaling social platforms—the struggle to maintain effective content moderation during periods of exponential user growth. Similar challenges were encountered by other platforms, including Bluesky, which faced username-based slur issues in July 2023.

Sources:
UpScrolled Official Website
ADL Report on UpScrolled
State Department Foreign Terrorist Organizations
Appfigures Market Intelligence
UpScrolled FAQ
UpScrolled Rules and Policies
Founder Response Video