A joint study conducted by The Wall Street Journal and researchers from Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (USA) reveals that Instagram s recommendation algorithms play a role in connecting and promoting a vast network of profiles selling child pornography material.
The researchers discovered that the social media platform allowed users to search for hashtags related to child sexual abuse, which led to profiles offering pedophilic content, including videos of minors engaging in sexual acts with animals or other children.
When a search for these hashtags was performed, the platform would warn users about potentially disturbing content but still provided resources on the subject or the option to view the results. The researchers created profiles that followed some of these accounts, which immediately led the algorithms to recommend other pedophile content sellers and buyers, as well as accounts linked to external sales websites. The researchers found 405 sellers in their investigation.
Similar activity was identified on other social media platforms, although Twitter removes these accounts much faster than Instagram.
A spokesperson for Meta, Instagram s parent company, stated that thousands of hashtags sexualizing minors have been blocked, and restrictions have been put in place to prevent algorithms from recommending terms related to sexual abuse. The company also claims to be constantly seeking ways to actively combat this behavior and has dismantled 27 pedophile networks in the past two years.
This revelation raises significant concerns about the use of recommendation algorithms in social networks and highlights the need for enhanced monitoring and action to combat online child exploitation.
