WASHINGTON, DC (September 3, 2022) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) said that Instagram’s decision to remove Pornhub from its platform indicates that the company understands the mounting evidence of Pornhub’s criminality.
“Instagram was right to remove Pornhub from its platform for violating its community standards given the increasing reports of Pornhub hosting child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking, filmed rape, and non-consensual videos and images. Instagram served as a distribution partner with this criminal enterprise, helping to push millions to their website, including children. We are grateful that Instagram has heard the voices of sexual abuse survivors who have been personally harmed by Pornhub’s insatiable appetite for profit,” said Dawn Hawkins, CEO of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“Pornhub shared with its over 13 million Instagram followers sexually graphic content, directly promoted pornography, and featured videos like ‘Next Career Goal’ encouraging its audience to become a pornography performer. Pornhub even had a ‘blue check’ of verification, an explicit endorsement by Instagram, despite strong evidence of illegal activity against children and adults.
“Instagram is courageously choosing to stop partnering with Pornhub and it is time for all corporate entities to follow its example,” Hawkins said.
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, along with a group of international advocates and survivors including Collective Shout, Courtney’s House, Defend Dignity, and the Justice Defense Fund, have been sharing evidence of criminality on Pornhub with Instagram and requested that the social media company remove Pornhub. More information can be found at: https://endsexualexploitation.org/instagram/ and https://endsexualexploitation.org/pornhub/.
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-partisan organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
