The Adult Industry’s infiltration of social media
It’s well known throughout the history of mankind that sex sells. We’re biologically inclined to seek out a mate and procreate, which is exactly what the adult industry abuses to draw more people in and make their money.
Before the internet, there was a time where you would have to intentionally seek out adult or pornographic content in magazines or movies to be exposed to them. These days it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid adult content while using applications and websites as intended.
The distinguishing factor I am making is that even while using the applications as intended, you can and will be exposed to adult/erotic content without seeking it out.
Many ‘Only Fans’ (a subscription based porn website) performers will post erotic, yet not strictly pornographic material on social media in the hopes that they can entice viewers to subscribe to their Only Fans account. Social media companies are aware of this behaviour, but do nothing to prevent it as it only serves to bring more traffic to their platform, and therefore more money.
I’ve compiled a few examples of the ways adult performers hijack different social media platforms below, just to give you an idea of what is happening:
Facebook and Instagram:
- Suggested posts: (a feature that you can not disable): can contain erotic material from adult performers
- Reels: Often have erotic material in the thumbnails, and can contain erotic material from adult performers
- Advertisements: Can contain erotic comics or videos
Youtube:
- Videos/Shorts: Can contain very erotic or explicit material from celebrities or adult performers
- Advertisements: Can contain erotic videos or content
Tik Tok:
- Adult Performers: Tik Tok is rampant with adult performers making content that just skirts within the platform’s content standards.There is no age restriction on their content and they will always provide a link to their more explicit content on other platforms. Tik Tok is by far the worst offender in this area
Snapchat:
- Discover page: Can contain adult content from adult performers or celebrities
- Snapchat AI: An AI chatbot that will answer questions about sex, masturbation, gender ideology etc… all with a biased and misinformed agenda.
Mobile games:
- Advertisements: Often contain suggestive or erotic material and can be present in any game that includes advertisements (which is the majority).
It should be no surprise that a predatory industry is behaving this way, but how do parents keep their children safe on the internet while they’re still growing and developing?
Children need to have monitored or supervised access to the internet – to set them loose on the internet without guidance or restriction is naive and will end in disaster. Internet filters are a good start, however social media is often unaffected by these filters and explicit content is still available.
Some resources to help your family navigate this issue:
Good pictures Bad pictures
An illustrated book that parents read with their children. It is designed for 5 to 10 year olds, and it explains the workings of the brain, how addictions can develop, and most importantly of all, it gives children a strategy that includes practical steps to take if they are confronted with pornography. Junior Version is also available for ages 3-6.
The Good Source
The Good Source is a New Zealand ISP (Internet Service Provider) which provides fast, family-friendly internet that blocks harmful content. It is a safe ISP designed to keep your entire family’s network and devices free from unwanted content and help parents to monitor and restrict their family’s internet usage.
So go on and have that awkward conversation with your kids about coming across mature content on the internet. Take shame out of the equation and keep it real, they’re likely embarrassed about their curiosity, so just come alongside them and help them navigate this issue safely.
You don’t need to have all the answers, you just need to be there for them.
By Luke Tetley-Jones
