Originally posted by Collective Shout
The sexual exploitation of young girls on Instagram must stop now
Collective Shout campaigner Lyn Kennedy recently wrote about the countless Instagram pages she found filled with sexualised images of children. Under the guise of “child modelling” young girls were posed dressed in dancewear and swimwear:
“There are girls standing, hip to the side, pulling on bikini bottoms. Others are posed with arched backs and spread legs. Backsides to camera, arms overhead. Girls look wistfully back at the camera, lips parted. Side-shots capture girls with backsides pushed out.”
“Kids don’t naturally strike these poses. Adults put them up to it.”
Lyn reported many of these images but received almost immediate responses from Instagram stating that “no community guidelines have been breached.” Lyn also reported comments men had left on these photos – comments about the girls bodies, body parts and telling the girls what sex acts they would like to perform on them. Many of these were not considered to be a breach.
According to Instagram’s community guidelines, it is perfectly acceptable for a grown man to tell a ten year old girl wearing a leotard to “open your legs.”
