Once again, minors are victims of the misuse of social media. For some time now, the National Police has been receiving numerous reports following the inappropriate use of an emoji. It's the pizza slice 🍕, a symbol that a growing number of Internet users are associating with completely illegal and dangerous content for people under 18.
Indeed, in a video published on its own networks, the police explain that pizza is the refuge on TikTok of a major child pornography network. Hundreds of suggestive images and videos featuring minors are being discreetly distributed and relayed thanks to this emoji, which makes it easy to find them without ever being associated with incriminating terms.
Police take the leap to prevention
If pizza is chosen by criminals, it is because of its English acronym. "Cheese Pizza" can also be read as CP, a short form for "Child Porn" (child pornography). This is obviously extremely problematic. While social media is prohibited for users under 13, they are still exposed to it through their parents' accounts, who think they are posting "cute" photos, or through false information that anyone can enter when registering.
The pizza emoji is often included in the account username and/or in the content description. If its use does not seem appropriate to you, it is best to be wary of it and not share, like, or comment on anything. Please note that purchasing or possessing child pornography is punishable by 7 years in prison and a fine of €100,000.
How to report content?
The police advise reporting any content associated with this type of activity directly. If you use TikTok, you may not have noticed anything, as the algorithm generally targets its users well. But the viral nature of the content can lead you to come across compromising and illegal photos and videos. In this case, you can report them directly in the application by clicking on the arrow at the bottom. right of the screen.
It is also recommended to report the incident to the French authorities via the Pharos platform of the Ministry of the Interior, at internet-signalement.gouv.fr. Pharos is also useful for malicious sites, linked to online scams or any other scam that harms Internet users.
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