Black History Month also saw a 21% rise in racist remarks, according to first-of-its-kind Social Media Comment Insights Report
BOULDER, Colo., May 28, 2025 — Respondology, the pioneering leader in social media comment moderation and intelligence and creator of the industry’s first Comment Activation Platform, published the 2025 Social Media Comment Insights Report. The first-of-its-kind report reveals the percentage of comments on Meta Ads and TikTok Ads that have to be hidden due to spam or toxicity, the volatile spikes in brand-damaging comments, and the direct positive impact of active moderation on paid social media performance.
The inaugural report analyzed first-party comment data — 118.4 million comments from 734,500 posts across more than 450 brands — from Meta (Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, and YouTube between January and December 2024. According to the research, nearly one-third (30%) of Meta Ads comments were hidden due to spam or toxicity. A stunning 44% of comments on TikTok Ads had to be hidden for the same reasons. Brands that ignore moderation see spam, abuse, toxicity, and brand-damaging comments diminish campaign performance.
Findings from the 2025 Social Media Comment Insights Report include:
- Comment sections see volatile seasonal spikes: Black History Month (February) saw a 21% increase in racist and discriminatory remarks, Pride Month (June) saw a 26% rise in homophobic and transphobic comments, and Election Season (October-November) saw political and personal attacks surge by 34%. Those who invested in proactive moderation protected their communities and their reputations.
- July 15 required the most moderation in 2024: 18,000 posts were moderated on that Monday as Israel besieged Gaza City and Argentina won the Copa America final — shortly after the Trump assassination attempt, the Euros final, and the Wimbledon final. Communications teams were likely unprepared for the surge in activity.
- Spam is a legitimate revenue risk: 57.5% of all comments hidden in 2024 were due to spam. A full 23% of people report interacting with spam before realizing what it was. AI-generated spam increased by 25% in the past year, making detection even harder. Fake promotions, phishing links, and engagement manipulation erode trust, drive away real customers, and lower ad performance.
- Sunday is the prime day for posting: Sunday — when marketing teams are off for the weekend — saw the highest number of comments made (20.1 million) and comments hidden (3.2 million), putting brands without moderation in place at high risk. Comment toxicity also spikes by 10% after 5 p.m. when many marketing teams are logging off.
- Ad budgets are at risk without moderation: With moderation in place, return on ad spend (ROAS) increased by 7.35% on Meta and 17.6% on TikTok. Cost per click (CPC) for brands decreased by 33% on Meta and 3.7% on TikTok with moderation in place. Brands that actively moderated their ad comment sections saw better engagement, higher conversion rates, and stronger brand perception.
- Revenue opportunities are surfacing in the comments: One out of every 25 comments for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands indicate buying intent. For food subscription services, 6.28% of comments show buying intent. Marketing teams paying attention can capitalize by responding to these comments.
“The comment section is where brand loyalty is built, products are sold, crises are created, and viral moments are born,” said Erik Swain, CEO & Co-Founder of Respondology. “Too often, brands forget the revenue opportunities hidden in comment sections and fail to protect their communities from spam and hateful comments. Our proprietary platform data shows that brands that invest in active, AI-powered moderation see better engagement and higher conversion rates while protecting their reputation.”
The 2025 Social Media Comment Insights Report is available today.
Research Methodology
Respondology’s internal research group, Respondology Labs, analyzed first-party comment data from Meta (Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, and YouTube, focusing on comments posted between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024. The dataset includes 118.4 million comments from 734,500 posts across more than 450 brands, highlighting key trends in engagement and moderation impact.
About Respondology:
Respondology gives marketers access to all the value from their social comment sections so they can listen, learn, and act. Unlike traditional social media management tools that focus on scheduling, monitoring, and basic listening, Respondology’s Comment Activation Platform moderates comments and surfaces actionable insights from what your audience is talking about in seconds. Learn more at respondology.com.
