Authors: Nick Kelly
Published: June 30, 2026
TRIGGER WARNING: This article discusses child exploitation. Please read only if you feel able to.
Humans love connection. We are drawn to like-minded communities and sharing our hobbies, fandoms, and passion projects. Technology in the 21st century has accelerated and facilitated connection and communication. It’s easier than ever to turn on a device, push a few buttons, and instantly interact, communicate, and share content with anyone in the world.
When technology is introduced that makes others available, the developers and organizations introducing it must also be responsible and accountable for how it is used. This has not always been the case, as technology companies have historically relied on the “Section 230” shield, a provision of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, to limit their liability for user-generated content on their platforms. This changed on March 24, 2026, when a New Mexico jury awarded $375 million in damages against Meta, the organization that owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. In the attorney general’s words, “Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their own employees, and lied to the public about what they knew.”
The widespread adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools is a growing area of concern. Many of these tools have been adopted by users of all ages, and several lack even basic protections when considering child online safety. One of these platforms is Grok, the AI tool owned by Elon Musk’s xAI company.
Grok contains several features that can contribute to the endangerment of children online and the proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). These features include a spicy mode that allows the user to tell Grok to undress individuals in photos. Reports indicate that ‘Spicy Mode’ has limited safeguards, including being hidden behind a paywall. This raises concerns that manipulated or sexualized images could be generated by this GenAI tool even when the “models” are children or adults who have not given consent. As of June 2026, “Well over half of Grok’s overall traffic is driven by pornographic images and videos, adult role-play chats or other such activity.”
The tool’s ability to de-age the individuals in the pictures has resulted in a proliferation of CSAM. A study by The Internet Watch Foundation detected a record 3,440 AI videos of child sexual abuse last year, up from just 13 videos the year prior, a 26,362% increase! This represents a dramatic escalation in scale and accessibility. In an 11-day period in January 2026, Grok specifically was found to have generated 3 million sexualized images, 23,000 of which appear to depict children.
The IWF’s Ngaire Alexander told the BBC that tools like Grok now risked “bringing sexual AI imagery of children into the mainstream”. Those willing to defend GenAI tools like Grok will say that generating this material is a victimless crime, but that is a perspective that overlooks the very real harm experienced by victims. Many of those depicted in these materials experience online harassment and bullying, and some suffer severe anxiety and depression as a result.
Content like this can be deeply distressing. If you or someone you know is experiencing any mental health trauma, depression, or suicidal thoughts, please contact the 988 lifeline immediately.
Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of Musk’s children, was one such victim. Grok was used to edit a picture of her at age 14. She called the experience “objectively horrifying.” These images are not restricted solely to X/Twitter. They are distributed across dozens of social media platforms. A class action lawsuit is pending in California, led by three plaintiffs, two of whom are underage, following online harassment, stalking, and bullying as a result of non-consensual images generated by GenAI.
Many images that objectify women and children also feature sexualized or violent imagery. This includes bruises, gunshot wounds, blood, and scars.
Steps are being taken to build accountability for the production of CSAM, including the 2025 Take it Down Act in the United States. However, removing the functionality from tools like Grok is met with a variety of refusals. Initial responses from xAI were simply “legacy media lies.” Musk, meanwhile, has taken steps to make Grok an essential part of how various organizations execute business functions. He has requested that banks, lawyers, and auditors interested in the upcoming SpaceX IPO subscribe to Grok.
Even if xAI reverses course and builds stricter guardrails and more responsible procedures around the content generated by Grok, many victims feel that it is far too little, too late. Narinder Kaur, a London-based broadcaster, discovered videos of her in compromising sexual positions, including one where she was kissing a man who had been trolling her online. After Grok was moved to a paid-only subscription model, she stated that “[t]he damage and humiliation is already done.” This feeling is shared by many of the victims.
The rapid evolution of generative AI has created new challenges that society is only beginning to understand. While innovation can bring meaningful benefits, it also requires responsibility, oversight, and safeguards—especially when children’s safety is at risk.
At the Innocent Lives Foundation, we see daily how technology is misused to exploit and harm innocent children. But we also know that there is a path forward—one that involves collaboration between technology companies, lawmakers, law enforcement, and organizations dedicated to protecting children.
Everyone has a role to play.
- Stay informed about how emerging technologies are being used
- Talk to children and teens about online safety and digital boundaries
- Report harmful content through appropriate platforms and authorities
- Support organizations such as the Innocent Lives Foundation and others working to identify predators and protect victims
The scale of this problem is growing. As highlighted in our 2025 Impact Report, online exploitation continues to rise at alarming rates, with millions of files reported annually and significant increases tied to emerging technologies. 
But so is the impact of those working to stop it.
If you want to be part of the solution, consider supporting the Innocent Lives Foundation. Whether through donations, advocacy, or simply sharing awareness, your involvement helps us continue the work of identifying anonymous predators and bringing them to justice—so that more children can live safe, innocent lives.
