Child Sex Abuse Victim Urges Elon Musk to Act Against Exploitation on X

Mon Oct 20 2025 06:49:09 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A survivor named Zora appeals to Elon Musk to eliminate links to images of her abuse circulating on the social media platform X, highlighting the global issue of child sexual abuse material.

Zora, a victim of child sexual abuse, has urged Elon Musk to remove access to links of her images that continue to circulate on X. She emphasizes the ongoing exploitation and traumatic consequences of such actions on survivors. The issue is exacerbated by a global trade in child sex abuse material, reportedly worth billions, with images being offered for sale openly. This report illustrates the struggles and frustrations of survivors combating the commodification of their abuse on social media platforms.

A victim of child sexual abuse has begged Elon Musk to stop links offering images of her abuse being posted on his social media platform X.

Hearing that my abuse - and the abuse of so many others - is still being circulated and commodified here is infuriating, says Zora (not her real name) who lives in the United States and was first abused more than 20 years ago.

Every time someone sells or shares child abuse material, they directly fuel the original, horrific abuse.

X says it has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse material and tackling those who exploit children remains a top priority.

The BBC found images of Zora while investigating the global trade of child sex abuse material, estimated to be worth billions of dollars by Childlight, the Global Child Safety Institute.

The material was among a cache of thousands of similar photos and videos being offered for sale on an X account. We contacted the trader via the messaging app Telegram, leading us to a bank account linked to a person in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Zora was first abused by a family member. A collection of images of her abuse have become infamous among pedophiles who collect and trade such content. Many other victims face the same situation as images of abuse continue to circulate today.

Zora is angered that the trade continues to this day.

My body is not a commodity. It never has been, and it never will be, she says.

Those who distribute this material are not passive bystanders; they are complicit perpetrators.

Images of Zora's abuse were originally only available on the dark web, but she now has to live with the reality that links are being openly promoted on X. Social media platforms are trying to rid their platforms of illegal material, but the scale of the problem is enormous.

Last year, the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received over 20 million mandatory reports from tech companies about incidents of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). NCMEC attempts to identify victims and perpetrators and then contacts law enforcement.