New Brunswick’s Child and Youth Advocate is raising new concerns about the safety of children on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Kelly Lamrock said the platform has allowed users to use its artificial‑intelligence tools to alter photos so minors appear undressed or sexualized in a letter to Premier Susan Holt and all members of the legislature.
“There have been repeated instances of images of minors being sexualized and shared by X users,” he said, adding that the company has not taken steps to prevent the practice or respond quickly to complaints.
Lamrock said the company first denied the issue and later joked about it.
“The corporate response of X was first to deny the practice and then to joke about it,” he said.
He pointed to an AI‑generated image of U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a bikini that was posted to the account of CEO Elon Musk.
Lamrock explained X then suggested making the “undressing” tool a subscriber‑only feature.
“That approach treated child exploitation as something the company had failed to sufficiently monetize,” he said.
Lamrock said X only committed to disabling the feature after national governments threatened to remove the platform.
He also stated that journalists have continued to use the tool weeks after that pledge.
His letter also quoted X’s own AI bot, which said the company’s approach had created “a gray area ripe for abuse,” leading to “floods of non‑consensual ‘undressing’ or sexualized edits of real women, public figures, and even minors.”
The Advocate cited Criminal Code provisions that make it an offence to create, publish or distribute child sexual‑abuse and exploitation material, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
“The risk of harm to a minor whose sexualized image is disseminated is great,” he said, noting the potential for mental‑health crises, social isolation, disruptions at school and self‑harm.
Lamrock said the province should stop using X for all but essential emergency communication.
“Elected officials and government departments should not monetize child exploitation,” he said.
He also said the province should enforce child pornography laws and consider civil action against platforms that fail to protect children.
Lamrock said he appreciates any attention government leaders give to his recommendations.
