Report: Explicit Content Recommended to Simulated 13-Year-Old X Accounts

A report published by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate examined X's handling of adult content for young users. Researchers created two accounts simulating 13-year-old boys and girls in the UK to assess search results, algorithms, profiles, and Communities.

The study aimed to evaluate X's adult content policy under the Online Safety Act, which requires platforms to protect children from harmful material.

' The report stated that 80 percent of these searches returned explicit results within the first ten media-containing outcomes. Examples included videos and images of oral sex and a woman masturbating on a sofa, with no age verification, content warnings, or filters applied. 5 percent.

The accounts joined 15 out of 20 tested adult sexual communities without restrictions. These communities, such as 'Virgin Trades,' 'Onlyfans virgin club +18,' 'Kink Kings & Queens,' and 'Goon Group,' contained posts with sexual and transactional content, including offers of nude images.

assess direct contact risks, researchers liked posts in communities where users offered messages for engagement.

The teen accounts received direct message requests from adult accounts, bypassing default settings that limit messages to followed users. One such message included an unsolicited video of a man masturbating. The Online Safety Act, enforced since mid-2023, mandates age limits and safeguards against harmful content for child users.

Non-compliant platforms face fines of 10 percent of global annual revenue or £18 million, whichever is higher. Adult sites like PornHub have implemented age verification for UK visitors as a result. Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, has investigated over 100 platforms, including X, for compliance.

Earlier this year, Ofcom probed X's Grok AI for generating sexual deepfakes, including of children. An NBC News report on April 14, 2026, indicated that Grok continued to produce such content despite X's stated measures.

The Children's Commissioner for England stated in August 2025 that X is the most common source of pornography for children, surpassing dedicated sites.

Callum Hood, head of research at the Centre for Countering Digital Hate UK, said the findings demonstrate that X's For You feed recommends explicit content to young users after searches. He noted that changes to account settings allow adults to message minors directly, potentially exposing them to further material.

“These findings show X will quickly reshape its ‘For You’ feed to recommend explicit content to young users. Worse, with a single change to account settings, adults can directly message them, leaving children exposed to more explicit sexual material and the risk of grooming." — Callum Hood, Centre for Countering Digital Hate UK Hood added that the platform's setup creates a pathway from curiosity to repeated exposure and adult contact, increasing grooming risks. Nearly a year after enforcement began, the report concludes X has not fully complied with the Act. An Ofcom spokesperson stated that protecting children is a priority and platforms must use age checks to prevent access to pornography. The regulator has issued over a dozen fines for non-compliance and plans enforcement actions against violators. A Department for Science, Innovation and Technology spokesperson described the findings as disturbing and emphasized platforms' responsibilities under the Act. Ofcom has issued over £3 million in fines and has full backing for further actions. The department launched a consultation on measures including age limits for AI chatbots, games, and a potential social media ban for children. The Independent sought comment from X but received no response by the report's publication.”