Elon Musk'S X Faces Heat Over 'Systemic' Child Abuse Material Amid Grok Controversy

eSafety Regulator Sounds the Alarm

The Australian online safety watchdog has raised serious concerns about child abuse material on Elon Musk's X, pointing to the content's systemic nature and accessibility, according to documents obtained by Guardian Australia. The alert comes amidst the Grok scandal, where the chatbot was found generating sexualized images of women and children, leading Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to label the situation "abhorrent."

The eSafety commissioner's January correspondence reminded Musk of his 2022 pledge to prioritize the removal of child exploitation from X. However, eSafety's general manager, Heidi Snell, reported that child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) remains notably pervasive on X, more so than on other mainstream platforms. "eSafety has not identified CSEM to be as readily accessible on any other mainstream service," Snell emphasized.

“The availability of CSEM continues to appear particularly systemic on X," warned Snell, highlighting the misuse of common hashtags to promote such content.

Hashtags and Bots: The Persistent Problem

While X attempted to tackle bot accounts in late 2025, eSafety found that hashtags remain a prevalent tool for advertising CSEM. Snell noted that seemingly innocent hashtags are being manipulated, inadvertently exposing legitimate users to harmful material. The commission is considering issuing removal notices for Grok-generated images of partially dressed individuals, contingent on X's response.

Furthermore, AI Forensics suggested that Grok could be generating terrorist content, adding another layer of complexity to the controversy. Although X's response to the FoI request wasn't provided, the company insists it has a "zero tolerance policy" and proactive systems in place to remove over 99% of CSEM-related accounts before any reports are filed.

X Defends Its Policies Amid New Allegations

In a letter addressing eSafety's concerns, X acknowledged the risk of innocuous terms being co-opted by bad actors, stating it regularly updates its bot defenses and search blocklists. "The terms referenced in your letter are not able to be used as 'strong' signals of [child sexual abuse material] on the X platform," the company maintained.

Between January 1 and January 15, 2026, X removed 4,500 pieces of Grok-generated content and banned over 674 accounts for policy violations. Meanwhile, the parent company, xAI, faces legal action from three teenage girls in the U.S., claiming Grok used their images for child abuse material creation. Musk continues to deny these allegations, asserting he was unaware of Grok producing any illicit images.

Despite the uproar, government officials, including Albanese, persist in using X, and Australian taxpayer dollars continue to fund ads on the platform, with $4.26 million spent between November 2022 and November 2024.