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Seeking social media stardom for their underage daughters, mothers post images of them on Instagram. The accounts draw men sexually attracted to children, and they sometimes pay to see more.

Mothers are running Instagram accounts for underage girls aspiring to stardom. Many encounter a dark underworld dominated by men, including pedophiles.

After senators grilled the leaders of Meta, TikTok, X and others, there may be momentum to pass rules to safeguard the internet’s youngest users, some said.

Senators criticized the chief executives of Meta, TikTok, Snap, X and Discord for not doing enough to prevent child sexual abuse online, amid rising fears over how the platforms affect youths.