Each year, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), a leading non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation, publishes the Dirty Dozen List. For the last thirteen years it has identified 12 “mainstream contributors” who it finds to be facilitating, enabling, or profiting from sexual exploitation.
In that time, it has yielded many victories at top tech companies and called thousands of everyday individuals to action. Encouraging them to Rise Up and demand change to problematic policies and practices.
Here are the organizations named to the NCOSE 2026 Dirty Dozen List
Amazon
Amazon has made 6 other appearances on the Dirty Dozen list (2016-2021) and has found themselves on the list in 2026 for the first time in 5 years.
“Despite advocates around the world calling out Amazon over the years, this company continues to host—and algorithmically surface—child-like sex dolls that violate its own policies, endanger children, and undermine laws across the United States and abroad.” (NCOSE)
Android
While Google has made several appearances on the Dirty Dozen list, Google-owned Android makes it first appearance in 2026.
“Google’s Android OS fails to prioritize prevention, leaving millions of teens exposed to sextortion, predatory messaging, and early encounters with pornography. By relying almost entirely on optional parental tools like Family Link, Android fails to provide built-in, proactive safeguards, forcing children to navigate high-risk digital environments on their own.” (NCOSE)
Apple App Store
The Apple App Store has been named to the Dirty Dozen List 3 times now. This time as a result of a review system that is easily gamed.
“With 87% of U.S. teens on iPhones, Apple is the de facto gatekeeper of childhood online. And until it reins in dangerous apps, fixes deceptive age ratings, and closes loopholes in its parental controls, Apple is failing the very kids it claims to protect.” (NCOSE)
Chromebook
Another Google-owned product, the Chromebook makes it first appearance due to it’s increased presence in the education system.
“Schools started giving out Chromebooks for education, but too often they result in exploitation. From exposing kids to pornography or to predators on dangerous platforms, to failing parents with clunky, ineffective safety tools, Google’s educational devices are a liability for kids, parents, and schools.” (NCOSE)
Discord
Having remained on the list for 5 years, Discord lands on the Dirty Dozen another year.
“Discord is an online destination for exploitation, and even organized criminal sextortion networks have noticed. Discord’s design choices—private channels, limited default safeguards, and reactive enforcement—undermine its own “safety rules,” allowing serious harms like sextortion, grooming, CSAM distribution, and image-based sexual abuse to flourish.” (NCOSE)
Grok
2026 marks the first year that xAI’s Grok has be named to the Dirty Dozen List.
“xAI’s Grok builds chatbots to normalize rape, sexual violence, and prostitution/sex trafficking, and image generators to create sexual imagery. This fuels a culture of entitlement and abuse. Worse yet, Grok’s “age-gate” is little more than a public relations ploy, making all of the above effectively accessible to minors.” (NCOSE)
Snapchat
Snapchat has come on and off the Dirty Dozen List several times but returns in 2026.
“Snapchat is a tool of choice for sextortionists, sex traffickers, and child abusers — and the company knows it. Internal documents and whistleblower accounts reveal that reports of abuse have often gone ignored, critical safety fixes were dismissed to protect engagement metrics, and features like My AI have promoted statutory rape. The technology exists to stop this, yet Snap chooses to look the other way.” (NCOSE)
Steam
After nearly 5 years off the list, Steam has been named to the 2026 list for the easy access kids have to the platform.
“Steam does nothing to protect children who don’t have the privilege of highly-involved, tech savvy caregivers enrolling them in family accounts. Any child can make a Steam account, without parental permission or age verification, and immediately have full access to all sexually explicit games.” (NCOSE)
Telegram
The 2026 Dirty Dozen List is the first time that Telegram has been named. Primarily due to the privacy structures that exist and protect predators.
“Telegram prioritizes privacy for sexual exploiters. Telegram knows that it is a messaging app used by sexual abusers for child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking, sextortion, deepfake image-based sexual abuse, and more. Yet it continues to operate encryption without real safeguards—all in the name of ‘privacy’—disregarding victims’ privacy and human rights.” (NCOSE)
TikTok
TikTok has only made one other appearance on the Dirty Dozen List but returns in 2026 for failing to protect minors on it’s platform.
“TikTok continues to fail at protecting children, letting predators use messaging, comments, and livestreams to groom and exploit minors. Internal documents show the company knew the risks but did too little to stop them. Meanwhile, online pimp “talent agencies” are using TikTok to funnel users into pornographic content creation.” (NCOSE)
X/Twitter
X, formerly known as Twitter, has been named to 10 of the 13 Dirty Dozen Lists and once again finds itself named in 2026.
“X has become the front page for sexual abuse online, amplifying exploitation instead of preventing it. Not only did the platform decide to take “no action” on child sexual abuse material, but it continues to facilitate child abuse, image-based sexual abuse, AI deepfake pornography, prostitution / sex trafficking, and more. Its policies and lack of enforcement make X a safe harbor for abusers and a nightmare for survivors.” (NCOSE)
Mark Zuckerberg
While the various Meta platforms have been named to the list across several years, 2026 is the first time Mark Zuckerberg has been named and the first time the list has named a person to their list to represent a larger tech eco-system.
“Mark Zuckerberg says “I’m sorry,” but his actions tell a different story. Under his leadership, Meta’s platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp—have become breeding grounds for child sexual abuse, grooming, sextortion, and trafficking, prioritizing profits over safety. From algorithms recommending predators to teens, to AI chatbots engaging in sexualized conversations with minors, Zuckerberg has consistently failed to protect children while allowing abuse to thrive unchecked.” (NCOSE)
The NCOSE list also includes a 2026 “Watch List” for companies that they are putting on notice and cautioning the public as they engage with them.
The 2026 Dirty Dozen Watch List includes
Charater.AI
“Character.AI has faced mounting lawsuits alleging that its chatbots exposed minors to severe harms including sexual abuse and grooming conversations, isolation, and mental health harms even rising to suicide.” (NCOSE)
“Reddit continues to allow large volumes of user-generated communities that facilitate the spread of pornography and image based sexual abuse, including “revenge porn,” “leaked” (aka stolen) OnlyFans content, probable CSAM sharing, and more. Reddit’s moderation and enforcement systems are woefully insufficient.” (NCOSE)
Roblox
“Roblox has strengthened age verification metrics to require users to complete facial age estimation or ID checks to access the chat feature and is attempting to limit communication to denoted age-based groups to reduce interactions between minors and adults. Given Roblox’s history of harm, NCOSE remains highly alert and concerned about this company, and continues to watch and examine the efficacy of these features.” (NCOSE)
Spotify
“NCOSE is concerned that Spotify’s assurances of age-gating DMs misleads the public as it merely relies on self-attestation, and warns that minors are at risk on Spotify especially since many caregivers are unaware of these new features.” (NCOSE)
You can learn more about each of these mainstream contributors and how they have been found to be facilitating, enabling, or profiting from sexual abuse and exploitation by viewing the complete list on the NCOSE Website.
Why This List Matters in 2026
The apps children and teens use are constantly changing, but the risks of online interaction remain consistent. Platforms built for connection and entertainment can also expose children to cyberbullying, scams, exploitation, inappropriate content, and contact with strangers.
This is why the National Center on Sexual Exploitation’s “Dirty Dozen List” matters for parents. It highlights major companies and platforms that have raised concern among child safety advocates regarding online safety and exploitation risks. It is not a ranking of the “most dangerous apps for kids,” but a signal of where stronger safeguards, transparency, and accountability may be needed.
In 2026, potential risks extend beyond traditional social media. AI chatbots, location-sharing features, disappearing messages, livestreaming, and algorithm-driven content can all create situations where harmful interactions are harder to recognize or monitor.
Importantly, inclusion on the annual “Dirty Dozen List” does not mean an app is unsafe for every child. Many young people use these platforms safely every day. Instead, it serves as a prompt for parents to stay informed, understand key features like anonymous messaging or communication with strangers, and have ongoing conversations with their children about online safety.
By staying engaged and informed, parents can better support children in navigating digital spaces safely while still benefiting from the opportunities technology provides.
Develop Practical Strategies to Protect Children
Our Rescue has created several resources to support open and ongoing conversations with youth about online safety.
- Internet Safety for Parents: Internet safety has become every parent’s critical responsibility as kids navigate social media apps and online games with increasing exposure to exploitation and predators. We’ve put together a resource portal to help you get started.
- Start Talking Guide: A resource with important information needed to help protect children from online risks. Learn to recognize grooming tactics and fake profiles, get age-appropriate conversation starters that build trust, and discover other hidden risks in popular apps.
- Our Shield™: An Online Safety Superpower for Caregivers and Kids: A stage-based safety guide that grows with your child from birth through adolescence. Learn the framework that empowers parents with practical tools, age-appropriate conversations, and proven strategies to keep children safe online while building their digital confidence and protecting their private information.
- Level Ready Quest: Our free interactive games help kids, teens, and adults build real skills on keeping safe online. This means spotting red flags, protecting their privacy, and knowing when to ask for help — through play, not lectures.
The prior Dirty Dozen lists were previously published on our blog. Our Rescue has not been involved in the publishing of this list at any point.
