NEW: Men on Pinterest are creating sex-themed image boards of little girls. Pinterest isn’t just allowing this to happen — its algorithm is serving this content to adults who seek it out.
March 9, 2023, 3:01 PM UTCLike other kids her age, 9-year-old Victoria signed up for Pinterest because she wasn’t allowed on TikTok. Her mother feared she might encounter dangerous content or individuals on the popular video-sharing app. Pinterest, meanwhile, seemed safe.
Nathalia asked that both she and her daughter be identified only by their first names for fear of attracting more unwanted attention to her daughter from adults online. “This is material that is innocently posted and is now being used to drive sexual interest in children,” said Stephen Sauer of the nonprofit Canadian Centre for Child Protection, which works to stop child exploitation.
After NBC News asked about the sexually suggestive boards, Espinosa said Pinterest was planning to roll out a new feature next week enabling users to report boards, which is not currently possible. Shortly after NBC News contacted him via direct message, all three of his boards containing underage girls vanished from his profile.
Pinterest launched more than a decade ago as a digital scrapbooking service with basic social networking features. The company went public in 2019 and has continued to unveil new creator-friendly tools toAlthough Pinterest has a policy requiring users to be at least 13 years old, as with other social media sites, many children like Victoria appear to be on the 450 million-user platform.
While conducting research for this article, NBC News visited the Pinterest profiles of several young girls and then scrolled through 100 consecutive videos offered on the “Watch” tab. All but one featured little girls doing things such as dancing, often with the camera on the floor pointed upward. The feed was interspersed with ads from multiple major brands.
A few days after Victoria’s account was disabled, Pinterest still featured a thumbnail of her headstand video while previewing a suggested collection called “Gymnastics pictures” that was suggested to NBC News. Espinosa said profiles and boards are removed immediately upon account deletion; this should not have happened.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
This Old-School Method of Travel Will Make a Comeback in 2023, According to PinterestPinterest shared its 2023 trend predictions, including the biggest trend it sees coming in travel.
Read more »
Billboard Promotes Silvio Pietroluongo to EVP of Charts & Data PartnershipsIn his new role, Pietroluongo will recruit new data partners for chart inclusion, among other duties.
Read more »
1 dead, 9 hurt in stampede at GloRilla concert in New York - New York Amsterdam NewsUnfounded fears of gunfire at a rap concert in Rochester, New York, sent a crowd rushing toward the exits in a stampede that killed one person and left two others fighting for their lives, authorities said.
Read more »
New legislation introduced in New York City to help prevent lithium-ion battery firesLithium-ion battery explosions are now the third leading cause of fires in New York City after smoking and open flames, according to the FDNY.
Read more »
March Will Bring the *Luckiest* Day of 2023, Based on Astrology—Here’s How Your Zodiac Sign Could Benefit“[The new moon in Aries on March 21] could motivate us to take the lead in steering our lives in a new direction.”
Read more »
New York Giants Signing Daniel Jones To New, Huge ContractDaniel Jones is staying in New York with the Giants -- agreeing to re-sign with the team for a ton of cash.
Read more »