instagram is the main platform used by pedophile circles to promote and sell content that depicts child sexual abuse, according to a report from Stanford University and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

“Large networks of accounts that appear to be controlled by minors are openly promoting child sexual abuse material for sale,” researchers at the Center for Cyber ​​Policy at the prestigious University of Silicon Valley said Wednesday.

“Instagram is currently the main platform for these networks due to features such as content recommendation algorithms and direct messaging, which connect buyers and sellers,” she added.

And neither pedophiles nor these networks need to show much ingenuity.

According to the WSJ, a simple search for explicit keywords on the topic leads accounts to use these tags to promote child sexual abuse content.

Many of these profiles “claim to be managed by the children themselves and openly use sexual pseudonyms,” the article said.

The accounts don’t directly say they sell these images, but they do have menus of options, which in some cases include asking for specific sex acts.

Stanford researchers also discovered offers of bestiality and self-harm videos.

“At a certain price, children are available for face-to-face ‘meetings’,” the article continues.

The report highlights the role played by the algorithms of the popular social network: a test account created by the American newspaper was “flooded with content that sexualizes children” after clicking on some of those recommendations.

Meta, Instagram’s parent company, did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

According to the WSJ, the social networking giant acknowledged problems with its security services and said it has created a “task force” to address the problem.

Instagram is also regularly accused by associations and authorities of insufficiently protecting children against the risks of bullying, addiction and personal image problems.