Social media companies have always struggled to moderate user content, and AI is only making the problem worse.

A new investigation found that Facebook allowed accounts sharing disturbing AI-generated videos of coaches inappropriately touching young athletes to remain online, even after users reported them. The accounts were only removed after journalists started asking questions.

Futurism reporter Maggie Harrison Dupré reported Monday that Facebook was hosting numerous accounts dedicated to sharing AI-generated videos of older male coaches inappropriately touching young women and girls during gymnastics, ballet, and yoga practice.

The disturbing videos show coaches running their hands over athletes’ backs and inner thighs. Some even depict coaches touching the young athletes’ genitals over their clothing or kissing them on the mouth. Other clips try to pass off the inappropriate behavior as coaches simply trying to improve the athletes’ technique.

“I do consider this abuse material. These images sexualize and normalize abusive interactions between coaches and young athletes within a sporting environment where significant power imbalances already exist,” Kim Shore, a gymnast and advocate for athlete safety who advises Gymnasts for Change International, told Futurism.

To see how Facebook would respond, Futurism used a regular account to report 10 pages sharing these videos.

A week later, Facebook said eight of the pages did not violate its rules and would not be removed. The other two accounts had disappeared, but it was unclear whether that was because of the reports.

“We use a combination of technology and human reviewers to process reports and identify content that goes against our Community Standards.

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