WASHINGTON (Pakistan Online) According to a report by Stanford University and The Wall Street Journal, the social media platform Instagram is being used by pedophile networks to promote and sell child sexual exploitation content. Wala is the most important platform.

"Major networks of accounts run by minors are openly advertising child sexual exploitation material for sale," researchers at the American University's Cyber Policy Center said, according to the AFP news agency. 'Instagram is currently the most important platform for these networks with features like recommendation algorithms and direct messaging that help connect buyers and sellers.'

According to the Journal, a simple search for sexually explicit keywords on Instagram, specifically referring to children, leads to accounts that use those terms to promote content that depicts the sexual abuse of minors. Profiles often 'claim to be run by children themselves' and use overtly sexual pseudonyms.

The Stanford researchers also looked at presentations for videos of animals and self-harm. Instagram also offers that children are available for in-person 'meetings' for a certain price." Instagram's parent company Metta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.