Abstract
When Amanda Todd first shared a sexually explicit photo with the person who would end up exploiting her, she was just a child, with no idea the dangerous web she would soon be caught up in. Amanda, one of the most notorious victims of child sexual exploitation via the internet, is just one of the growing number of minors who are subjected to this form of abuse each year. According to the FBI, internet exploitation of minors has increased exponentially in recent years. Amanda’s tragic example, and that of other vulnerable young people, makes the case for demanding accountability for the harm that is enabled by social media. This accountability for those who “enable” must not be perceived through a moral or financial lens, but rather in accordance with criminal codes, reflecting legislative and public recognition of the acuteness of the issue. While it would be incorrect to point an accusatory finger exclusively at one source, we would be similarly remiss in not clearly stating the following: Social media platforms and internet service providers (ISPs) create and provide the infrastructure that allows sextortion to occur (italics intended). Accordingly, we assert that social media and ISP companies must be held accountable for the consequences of their creation, and the resulting extraordinary harm they are enabling, regardless of whether that harm is intended or unintended. This is not to excuse the perpetrators who bear direct responsibility for the harm caused to innocent victims, regardless of age, sexual orientation, or gender. While the actions of those who prey on vulnerable minors demand the full attention of law enforcement and prosecutors, our primary interest is how the perpetrator and target initially connect and engage, and the way the former has unfettered access to the latter via an internet connection.
Recommended Citation
Amos N. Guiora & Rosalie Rawlins,
I Thought I Found My One True Love: Enabling a Web of Exploitation on Social Media,
24
Seattle J. Soc. Just.
75
(2025).
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sjsj/vol24/iss1/7