X-rated
X recommends explicit content to 13-year-olds and opens the door to adult messages
CCDH UK’s new report shows that X is failing to enforce its own policy and shield teens from explicit content. We created two UK-based accounts simulating 13-year-olds and found that 8 in 10 searches of common terms — like “sex”, “boobs”, and “porn” — returned at least one post with explicit sexual content.
After that, the platform algorithmically recommended explicit material in 30% of the posts in their For You feed. And worse still, a simple change of settings allowed strangers to direct message explicit content to teens.
In 2025, the Children’s Commissioner for England found that X “remains the most common source of pornography for children, outstripping even dedicated pornography sites.”
About
Nearly a year after the UK regulator Ofcom started enforcing rules to protect kids online, X is still failing to comply with the provisions established by the Online Safety Act. The platform is not only recommending pornographic content to teens but also opening pathways for grooming and exploitation.
Demand social media companies put children’s safety first.