This research was conducted in February and March of this year by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a London-based NGO. It explored how minors engage with the platform and what type of content is recommended to them. The researchers set up two accounts, one for a boy and another for a girl, both aged 13, and searched for keywords like ‘sex’ and ‘porn’ to assess content moderation.
According to a report by Dailymail, 80% of the searches led to posts classified as explicit under X’s own guidelines. This includes content depicting sexual acts, nudity, and related material. The study also found that X’s recommendation system continued to promote similar explicit content without requiring additional searches.
Approximately 30.5% of the posts in the “For You” feed visible to these accounts contained explicit content, including images and videos of sex and masturbation. Furthermore, the report pointed out that adults could send messages directly to these accounts, despite measures meant to prevent unsolicited communications. In one instance, a video of a man masturbating on camera was sent to the account posing as a 13-year-old girl.
The test accounts managed to join groups named ‘Virgin Trades’ and ‘Goon Group,’ communities focused on sharing sexual content. They were also subjected to posts promoting pornographic websites that included images of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Callum Hood, Head of Research at CCDH UK, stated, “Even fleeting curiosity can expose children to explicit sexual material and the risks of grooming, demonstrating that the platform’s protections are ineffective.”
The findings contribute to a growing wave of criticism regarding X’s moderation systems. Previously, the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, was accused of generating and disseminating inappropriate imagery. Although restrictions were implemented following public outcry, critics argue that they are insufficient.
