- cross-posted to:
- nyt_gift_articles
- cross-posted to:
- nyt_gift_articles
Seeking social media stardom for their underage daughters, mothers post images of them on Instagram. The accounts draw men sexually attracted to children, and they sometimes pay to see more.
The ominous messages began arriving in Elissa’s inbox early last year.
“You sell pics of your underage daughter to pedophiles,” read one. “You’re such a naughty sick mom, you’re just as sick as us pedophiles,” read another. “I will make your life hell for you and your daughter.”
Elissa has been running her daughter’s Instagram account since 2020, when the girl was 11 and too young to have her own. Photos show a bright, bubbly girl modeling evening dresses, high-end workout gear and dance leotards. She has more than 100,000 followers, some so enthusiastic about her posts that they pay $9.99 a month for more photos.
Over the years, Elissa has fielded all kinds of criticism and knows full well that some people think she is exploiting her daughter. She has even gotten used to receiving creepy messages, but these — from “Instamodelfan” — were extreme. “I think they’re all pedophiles,” she said of the many online followers obsessed with her daughter and other young girls.
Elissa and her daughter inhabit the world of Instagram influencers whose accounts are managed by their parents. Although the site prohibits children under 13, parents can open so-called mom-run accounts for them, and they can live on even when the girls become teenagers.
But you didn’t stop posting pictures to the account?
Ding! Which means the person is low key pimping their child out.
“But she’s been doing this so long now,” she said. “Her numbers are so big. What do we do? Just stop it and walk away?”
Money.
The same mum who said this is also now upset that her 17 year old daughter is planning on doing OnlyFans porn. Pretty soon mum won’t get the money for pimping her child any more and now she is horrified at all the pedos.
Mum also says if she knew then what she knew now she would never have pimped her child on the internet. Kid is 17, so we are talking about maybe 5 years ago? Back in the olden days of 2019, when the internet was a safe fluffy warm place for children.