Seeking social media stardom for their underage daughters, mothers post images of them on Instagram. The accounts draw men sexually attracted to children, and they sometimes pay to see more.
The ominous messages began arriving in Elissa’s inbox early last year.
“You sell pics of your underage daughter to pedophiles,” read one. “You’re such a naughty sick mom, you’re just as sick as us pedophiles,” read another. “I will make your life hell for you and your daughter.”
Elissa has been running her daughter’s Instagram account since 2020, when the girl was 11 and too young to have her own. Photos show a bright, bubbly girl modeling evening dresses, high-end workout gear and dance leotards. She has more than 100,000 followers, some so enthusiastic about her posts that they pay $9.99 a month for more photos.
Over the years, Elissa has fielded all kinds of criticism and knows full well that some people think she is exploiting her daughter. She has even gotten used to receiving creepy messages, but these — from “Instamodelfan” — were extreme. “I think they’re all pedophiles,” she said of the many online followers obsessed with her daughter and other young girls.
Elissa and her daughter inhabit the world of Instagram influencers whose accounts are managed by their parents. Although the site prohibits children under 13, parents can open so-called mom-run accounts for them, and they can live on even when the girls become teenagers.
“I really don’t want my child exploited on the internet,” said Kaelyn, a mother in Melbourne, Australia, who like Elissa and many other parents interviewed by The Times agreed to be identified only by a middle name to protect the privacy of her child.
“But she’s been doing this so long now,” she said. “Her numbers are so big. What do we do? Just stop it and walk away?”
…
Yeah…
That’s what a responsible person would do
Then the same woman goes on to say,
“She got slaughtered all through primary school,” said Kaelyn, the mother in Melbourne. “Children were telling her, ‘We can’t play with you because my mom said too many perverts follow you on the internet.’”
No, lady don’t just stop it and walk away, that would be absolutely insane.
That’s just insane. That poor child.
Money once again blinding someone to their obvious harms.
Prostituting her child makes her money. What do you want her to do? Not make money? /S
agreed to be identified only by a middle name to protect the privacy of her child.
Yeah, that’s why these moms did it. If they were so worried about their kids’ privacy, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have set up the accounts in the first place, but ok.
More like “I have been exploiting my child for so long, why would I stop now”.
So incredibly disturbing.
Child abuse.
Access to additional photos are not all a lot of these parents sell. It’s disgusting, and I don’t know why cops chasing easy bust numbers aren’t all over this… unless it’s not about child trafficking victims, after all
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