Elon Musk's social media platform X is pushing pornographic content to children as young as 13, study finds

By CLAIRE DUFFIN, SENIOR REPORTER Published: 00:01, 15 April 2026 | Updated: 00:01, 15 April 2026 Elon Musk's social media platform is pushing graphic pornographic content to children as young as 13 a study has found. Children using X - formerly known as Twitter - were exposed to images and videos of sexual acts and exposed genitals. Adults were also able to message them directly, despite safeguards supposed to stop unsolicited messages, with one sent a video showing a man masturbating on camera. Accounts for under 18s should not be able to access sensitive media. The Online Safety Act requires platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) UK, which is behind the study, said it showed how X's algorithm is recommending pornographic content to teenagers and exposing them to direct sexual contact from adults. It said X's 'weak safeguards' were driving the exposure, creating risks of exploitation and breaches of the Online Safety Act. 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.' X allowed the 13-year-old accounts to join 15 out of 20 popular sexual adult communities In one case, the 13-year-old girl account received a video of a man masturbating Elon Musk, pictured, the world's richest man, is already under fire over X's AI powered Grok feature which allows users to edit pictures of real people, including children Researches from CCDH created two accounts for a boy and girl aged 13 - the minimum age permitted. They then searched for sexual terms that teenagers might use, such as 'sex,' 'porn,' and 'boobs.' Eight in ten searches returned posts that meet X's definition of explicit content, including sexual acts, simulated sex, sexual fluids or nudity. X's algorithm then exposed the teens to even more explicit content without them even carrying out more searches. On their 'For You' section of the site, 30.5% of recommended posts were explicit, including images and videos of sex and masturbation as well as images appearing to show children in sexual acts. Shockingly, the study also found that children can receive unsolicited explicit messages from adults - with one account being sent a masturbation video - by easily disabling a feature designed to prevent them from receiving direct messages. By default, X teen accounts can only receive direct messages from accounts they follow; however, users can easily change this setting on their own. The 13 year-old girl's account received a video of a man masturbating. Messages from other accounts included sexually suggestive photos of women, with promises of more if the young user engaged further. The teenage accounts were also able to join a range of X Communities dedicated to sharing sexual content, such as ones named 'Virgin Trades' or 'Goon Group'. They were also exposed to posts that used images of the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to promote pornography websites as well as content appearing to depict children, including images of a boy putting his hand down a girl's trousers, and one featuring school students recorded having sex. The think tank said the findings were not an isolated failure. It said: 'The result is clear: children are exposed to avoidable harm, and the company's claims of safety do not stand up to scrutiny.' Testing was carried out by researchers in the UK between in February and March this year. X was bought by Musk, the world's richest man, in 2022. He is already under fire over X's AI powered Grok feature which allows users to edit pictures of real people, including children, to show them in revealing clothes such as bikinis. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described photographs generated by Grok as 'disgusting' and 'shameful'. Following a public outcry, restrictions were introduced but critics argued they do not go far enough. Ofcom, the UK's online safety watchdog, has already launched a formal investigation into X's Grok AI chatbot. A spokeswoman said of the latest findings: 'Protecting children is a priority for Ofcom. Under the Online Safety Act, tech firms are accountable for ensuring sites, platforms and apps are safer for the children who use them. 'They must take a safety-first approach in how their services are designed and operated, including by combatting grooming, tackling child sexual abuse material, and using age checks to prevent kids from accessing pornography. 'Those companies that do not comply can expect to face enforcement action. We've launched investigations into more than 100 platforms, including X, and issued over a dozen fines for non-compliance.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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