WASHINGTON (BP) – Social media founder Mark Zuckerberg is himself branded as a mainstream contributor to sexual exploitation on the National Center on Sexual Exploitation’s (NCOSE) 2026 Dirty Dozen List released March 31.
Zuckerberg is included on the list of top 12 mainstream entities contributing to, enabling and even profiting from the crime, incidentally following his losses in two jury civil trials for failing to protect minors from sexual exploitation on Meta, Instagram and YouTube.
“Mark Zuckerberg is a major contributor to sexual exploitation online, through his leadership at Meta. That’s why he is named personally to the Dirty Dozen List,” NCOSE Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer Haley McNamara said in releasing the list. “Under his leadership, Meta has consistently prioritized growth and profit over the safety of children. Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp have become breeding grounds for child sexual abuse, grooming, sextortion and sex trafficking. Responsibility lands on his desk.”
Algorithms that help connect predators to teens, with one audit showing Instagram recommended “1.4 million potentially dangerous adults to teens in a single day,” and Meta artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots engaging in sexualized dialogues with minors are among the accusations NCOSE leveled at Zuckerberg.
NCOSE referenced the “I’m sorry” apology Zuckerberg made during a 2024 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, contrasted with his subsequent business actions, in asserting he has no sincere desire to protect minors from online abuse.
“Under Zuckerberg’s leadership, Meta has not only failed to protect children but has actively created environments where abuse thrives – all in the name of growth and profit,” NCOSE said. “It’s time for Congress and regulators to hold Meta accountable and demand real, enforceable protections for children.”
Zuckerberg joined a list of 11 other facilitators of abuse, which NCOSE did not rank, but listed alphabetically.
Amazon, Android, the Apple App Store, Discord, Google Chromebooks, Grok, Snapchat, Steam, Telegram, TikTok and X join Zuckerberg on the list. Additionally, NCOSE released a Watch List to warn the public to use caution, and to put companies on notice, NCOSE said. Character.ai, Reddit, Roblox and Spotify are on the Watch List.
See the full list and related resources here, including advocacy opportunities. The list is delineated below.
Amazon
NCOSE calls out Amazon for enabling the sale of child-like sex dolls “that appear to violate its own policies, endanger children, and undermine laws designed to protect minors.” Sex dolls with childlike features, some of them holding stuffed animals, escalate dangerous sexual interests, NCOSE researchers said. “Amazon has the resources to prevent this, but continues to act only when public pressure mounts,” NCOSE said. “Contact Amazon today and demand they permanently ban child-like sex dolls, enforce their policies, and implement lasting safeguards to protect children.”
Android
Android neglects to install safety features at the operating system level that would create safer digital environments for children and teens, NCOSE said. Features such as nudity blurring and web content filtering are within Android’s reach, but overlooked. “These protections are critical for minors, such as foster care or high-risk youth without the privilege of involved, tech-savvy caregivers to configure safeguards manually,” NCOSE said. “Contact Android today and urge them to adopt prevention-first policies that align with real-world risks and set a new standard for child safety.”
The Apple App Store
Despite “kid-safe” labels, the app store exposes children to hidden online dangers through deepfake “nudify” tools, stranger connection apps for 13-year-olds, and sex games for preschoolers, NCOSE said. “With 87 percent of U.S. teens on iPhones, Apple is the de facto gatekeeper of childhood online,” NCOSE said. “And until it reins in dangerous apps, fixes deceptive age ratings, and closes loopholes in its parental controls, Apple is failing the very kids it claims to protect.”
Discord
Despite its beginnings as a gamer chat app, Discord “has become a pipeline for grooming, coercion, and sextortion,” NCOSE said. Predators use direct messages, video calls and private servers to lure minors from other platforms to Discord and share child sexual abuse material, NCOSE said, and organized sextortion networks recruit victims and coordinate crimes through Discord. NCOSE encourages Discord to heed lawsuits and other calls for action by implementing teen-by-default safeguards and enforcing policies proactively to “stop being a playground for sexual exploitation.”
Google Chromebooks
Although they are marketed as educational tools, Chromebooks fail to protect students from online harm, NCOSE said. Chromebooks’ ineffective default settings, invasive data collection and complex safety settings expose children to predators, explicit content, and cyberbullying, NCOSE asserted. “Schools and parents are overwhelmed and struggle to shield their kids from these dangers,” the watchdog group said. “Contact Google today and demand they redesign Chromebooks with robust default safety settings, effective parental controls and protections against harmful content.”
Grok
NCOSE called out Grok, from the company xAI, for building chatbots to “normalize rape, sexual violence and prostitution/sex trafficking,” and image generators “to create sexual imagery” that “fuels a culture of entitlement and abuse.” Grok’s “age-gate” is little more than a public relations ploy, NCOSE said, which doesn’t bar its dangerous content from minors. “These aren’t accidents. They appear to be intentional design choices to maximize engagement and profit, regardless of the human cost,” NCOSE charged. “It’s time for Grok to change its tune and innovate for humanity’s good, not exploitation.”
Snapchat
NCOSE branded Snapchat as “a tool of choice for sextortionists, sex traffickers and child abusers,” asserting that the company knows it. Internal documents and whistleblower accounts reveal that Snapchat has ignored reports of abuse, and dismissed critical safety fixes in favor or protecting engagement metrics. “Features like My AI have promoted statutory rape,” NCOSE said. “The technology exists to stop this, yet Snap chooses to look the other way.”
Steam
Steam does nothing to protect children who “don’t have the privilege of highly involved, tech savvy caregivers enrolling them in family accounts,” NCOSE said. “Any child can make a Steam account, without parental permission or age verification, and immediately have full access to all sexually explicit games.”
Telegram
Telegram prioritizes privacy for sexual exploiters, NCOSE asserts, accusing the messaging app company of knowing it is used for child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking, sextortion and deepfake image-based sexual abuse, among related ills. “Yet it continues to operate encryption without real safeguards — all in the name of ‘privacy’ — disregarding victims’ privacy and human rights,” NCOSE said. “Telegram has chosen a side.”
TikTok
In failing to protect children, TikTok allows predators to exploit livestreams, comments and private messages to groom and abuse minors, including trading child sexual abuse material, NCOSE charges. Internal documents reveal the company profits from features that incentivize sexual content, while “online pimps use TikTok to recruit vulnerable users into pornography,” the watchdog group said. “Children deserve better safeguards from a platform marketed as safe for users 12 and older,” NCOSE said.
X (formerly Twitter)
NCOSE accused X of serving as the “front page for sexual abuse online,” asserting X amplifies exploitation. “Not only did the platform decide to take ‘no action’ on child sexual abuse material, but it continues to facilitate child abuse, image-based sexual abuse, AI deepfake pornography, prostitution/sex trafficking, and more,” NCOSE said. “Its policies and lack of enforcement make X a safe harbor for abusers and a nightmare for survivors.”
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