A study conducted in the United Kingdom has reportedly found that minors as young as 13 are being exposed to explicit sexual content on Elon Musk’s social media platform X. The research, carried out by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), examined how underage users interact with the platform and what content is recommended to them.
Researchers created two accounts posing as 13-year-old users, the minimum permitted age on the platform. They searched for commonly used terms such as “sex” and “porn” to assess content moderation, as per a report by Daily Mail.
According to the findings, eight out of ten searches resulted in posts classified as explicit under X’s own policies, including content depicting sexual acts, nudity and related material, the report further mentioned.
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The study also found that the platform’s recommendation system continued to surface similar content without additional searches. In the “For You” feed, 30.5% of posts shown to these accounts contained explicit material, including images and videos of sex and masturbation, as well as content appearing to involve minors.
The report highlighted gaps in messaging controls for teenage users. While accounts for users under 18 are set by default to receive messages only from accounts they follow, this setting can be changed by users.
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Once altered, the accounts used in the study received unsolicited messages from adults. In one instance, a video showing a man masturbating was sent to the account posing as a 13-year-old girl. Other messages included sexually suggestive images and offers of further content.
Access to communities and questionable content
The researchers found that the test accounts were able to join communities focused on sharing sexual content, including groups with names such as “Virgin Trades” and “Goon Group.”
The accounts were also exposed to posts promoting pornography websites using images of Jeffrey Epstein, along with content appearing to depict minors in sexual contexts.
Findings point to weak safeguards
The CCDH stated that the exposure was driven in part by the platform’s algorithm and described the safeguards as insufficient. The organisation said this raises risks of exploitation and potential breaches of the Online Safety Act, which requires platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content.
Callum Hood, Head of Research at CCDH UK, said, “Even short-lived curiosity could expose children to explicit sexual material and risks of grooming, proving the platform’s safeguards simply do not work.”
The findings come amid broader scrutiny of X, which was acquired by Elon Musk in 2022.
The platform has also faced criticism over its AI feature, Grok, which allows users to edit images of real individuals. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described such generated images as “disgusting” and “shameful”.
Following public criticism, some restrictions were introduced, though concerns remain.
The UK regulator Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into the platform’s Grok chatbot and wider safety practices.
The testing for the study was conducted in the UK between February and March this year.
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