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New reports link Meta and 'momfluencers' in perpetuating child exploitation online

Parent-run accounts are increasingly aware of child predators following their children, but continue to monetize.

According to an exclusive from the Wall Street Journal, Meta safety staffers alerted the company to adult account owners using Facebook and Instagram's paid subscription tools to profit from exploitative content featuring their own children. According to the Times, more suggestive posts received more likes, male subscribers were found to flatter, bully, and even blackmail the families to get "racier" images, and some of the active followers had been convicted of sex crimes in the past. But while parents, activists, and political representatives call for both legislative and cultural action, the lack of regulation, legal uncertainty about the types of content being posted, and general moderation loopholes seem to have enabled these accounts to proliferate across platforms.

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