Last month, The New York Times published a bombshell report detailing how some parents are building Facebook and Instagram followings for their children, mostly girls, by posting suggestive images that often attract predators. Now, a US senator is blasting Facebook for failing to keep children safe while pressing the company to explain what it will do to address this problem.

According to the Times report, some of these accounts brought in money from men seeking suggestive photos, access to private chats, or even girls’ used clothing.

“After the disturbing revelations about predators interacting with the posts of minors and even buying their worn clothing, it continues to be clear that social media companies are failing to keep our children safe,” Senator Maggie Hassan told WIRED. “These corporations must answer for how they are allowing young women and girls to be exploited on their platforms and what steps they will take in response… Young women should be able to express themselves online in safe environments that do not facilitate the monetization of potentially exploitative content.”

Hasan gave Facebook a deadline of April 8 to answer her questions. However, this disturbing controversy is likely just getting started, and Facebook better be prepared to explain itself.

Recommended Resources

Choose what the experts use: award-winning cybersecurity you can trust and rely on.

Surf the web truly incognito. Try Bitdefender Premium VPN, the ultra-fast VPN that keeps your online identity and activities safe from hackers, ISPs and snoops.

System Mechanic 14 – Make your computer run like new. Winner of 200+ Editor’s Choice awards!