IndiaToday investigation shows Tamil-language accounts spreading pedophilia on X

The X app (formerly Twitter) has become a disturbing platform for pedophilic content, with several Tamil-language accounts sharing and commenting on images of minor girls. In response to these disturbing findings, concerned citizens have taken action by reporting and blocking the offending accounts.
One user, @EnthuPattanee, urged others to report the accounts immediately, writing, “STOP EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING AND REPORT THIS ACCOUNT.” Though some accounts have been deactivated, the digital anonymity provided by social media platforms continues to make it difficult to fully curb such exploitation.
An IndiaToday investigation revealed that multiple accounts were actively spreading pedophilia content, including the sharing of images of minor girls with vulgar and sexually explicit messages. One such account, @cnp359572754, was found using random pictures of young girls to promote pedophilia. Further investigation into the account’s followers led to a network of others such as @tamil1175878824, @Jenna, @Funthing0, and @Saranyaktks, who were also involved in the disturbing activity.
A particularly disturbing incident was uncovered when @ViralShort69873 shared a vulgar video. @yanni_lovely commented, “Is that a kid?” to which @cnp359572754 replied, “yes.” Another account, @Zoomolaxxx, also posted sexually vulgar comments on a picture of a minor girl, though some of the offending accounts have since been deactivated after being reported by concerned users. Despite these actions, others remain active, continuing to spread harmful content.
Madhumitha, a lawyer practicing at the Madras High Court, emphasised the long-lasting psychological impact such violations can have on the children involved. “The child will not even know these things are happening, and once they find out, it will have a major psychological impact. This is a major challenge every girl child faces in society,” she said.
Madhumitha noted that while laws such as the POCSO Act (2012) and the Information Technology Act (2000) are in place, the real difficulty lies in tracing the perpetrators in the digital space. “The government has enforced laws, but the challenge is finding out who the offenders are. If the government can work around the digital traceability issue, we can prevent these offenses,” she added.
The police, although were taking action to remove the objectionable content as and when pointed out, refused to make a comment as this was an extremely sensitive issue.
Antony Ruben, a child rights activist, highlighted the role of algorithms in promoting such content. “Algorithms go based on what you search. If you have an interest in certain keywords, it will direct you to such content. What might begin as an innocent search can escalate quickly,” he explained. Ruben further pointed out that the time lost between reporting content and its removal contributes to the spread of harmful material, leading to greater trauma for victims.
“The whole reason why this is happening is because they are hiding behind a digital mask where traceability is the biggest question mark. Once you map the user to a government-recognized ID, there is traceability, and there is more responsibility in the person who posts anything,” Ruben stated.
He also criticised the time-consuming process of reporting and removing such material. “Between reporting to the platform, notifying the police, and waiting for action, a significant amount of time is lost. During this window, harmful content spreads, causing unimaginable trauma to victims and their families,” Ruben said.
Ruben proposed that linking social media accounts to government-verified IDs could be a solution to curb such crimes. “The anonymity offered by digital platforms emboldens offenders. If users are made traceable and held accountable, it would instil a sense of responsibility,” he suggested.