X's algorithm recommends explicit content to UK teenagers
A study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that X's recommendation algorithm and content moderation systems exposed teenage users in the UK to sexually explicit material, weak community safeguards, and unsolicited contact from adults, reportedly breaching the Online Safety Act.
What happened
The Center for Countering Digital Hate created two test accounts posing as 13-year-old UK users and tested X's content moderation across search, recommendations, communities, and direct messaging.
When researchers searched for sexual terms such as 'sex, porn, boobs, and hentai', 80 per cent of searches returned explicit results within the first ten results containing media, with no age verification, content warning, or filtering step.
After explicit searches, the For You algorithm altered to recommend graphic images, with 30.5 per cent of recommended posts being explicit. Teen accounts joined 15 out of 20 adult sexual communities with ease, and received direct message requests from adult accounts, including unsolicited videos of a man masturbating.
Reported impact
The report warned of potential breaches of the Online Safety Act, with X's weak safeguards exposing teenagers to explicit content and possible direct sexual contact from adults.
Index analysis
The failure appears systematic: search moderation did not filter explicit results; recommendation algorithms amplified sexual content after initial searches; community access controls were bypassed; and default direct messaging protections were circumvented.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.