In context: With the continuing drama surrounding TikTok's future in the US showing no signs of resolving itself, rival social media sites are trying to offer users a viable alternative. Instagram is one such platform that is reportedly considering spinning off Reels as a separate app to take advantage of a potential TikTok-free social media landscape in the country. According to unnamed insider sources cited by The Information (via Reuters), the plan was reportedly discussed by Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri with staff earlier this week. However, the company has not officially confirmed or denied the report, with its spokespersons refusing to speak to the media about the subject.The news about a possible separation of Reels comes amid reports that Instagram users were bombarded with a range of violent and adult content this week. According to some users, the graphic videos showed school shootings, stabbings, beheadings, rape, and gory accidents. Meta has since apologized for the "error" and claimed that it has now fixed the problem for good.A separate Reels app wouldn't be the first time Meta had announced new products "inspired" by its competitors. Earlier this year, the company ripped off ByteDance's CapCut app to launch its own video-editing application called "Edits." In 2018, Zuckerberg's firm released another video editing app called Lasso, but it was eventually shut down due to low consumer uptake.TikTok was banned in the US after President Biden signed a bipartisan law last year, requiring its Chinese owner to sell the app to an American entity. The ban went into effect on January 19, just a day before Donald Trump took office for his second term as POTUS. Following the ban, the app was removed from Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, and US-based TikTok users were unable to access it for almost a whole day.However, just hours after the ban came into effect, Trump was inaugurated and overturned it via an executive order that gave TikTok's owner ByteDance 75 days to comply with the new law and find an American owner for its US operations. Trump also said that the US government could take a 50 percent stake in TikTok as part of a joint venture with various US tech firms.TikTok returned to the Google and Apple app stores earlier this month.