MERSEYSIDE´S Police and Crime Commissioner has today announced she is leaving ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) following reports its AI chatbot, Grok, has been used to create and share sexualised images of children and women.
Emily Spurrell’s decision follows growing concern about the platform’s failure to prevent the generation and sharing of harmful content, including child sexual abuse material and deepfake imagery targeting women.
Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and protecting children are central to her role, and she said remaining on the platform would undermine those priorities.
She added that this decision has been building for some time. Concerns about the constant spread of misinformation, harmful algorithms, and the platform’s inability to tackle abuse have long raised questions about whether X is a safe space for meaningful engagement.
Ofcom has launched a formal investigation under the Online Safety Act. The regulator will examine whether X breached its legal duties to protect users and prevent the spread of such material, with potential penalties including fines of up to 10% of global turnover or access restrictions.
Emily Spurrell said:- “From today I will no longer post on X. The recent revelations that its AI chatbot, Grok, has been used to create and share sexualized images of children and women without their consent are beyond shocking - they are dangerous. As Police & Crime Commissioner, protecting vulnerable children and young people and tackling Violence against Women and Girls are my highest priorities. I’ve been considering leaving X for some time because of its failure to tackle misinformation and harmful algorithms, but this latest scandal is the final straw. I cannot, and will not, remain on a platform that enables or tolerates such abuse. It is a clear failure of responsibility."
She continued:- “Safeguarding children and women should never be optional - it is a fundamental duty. X must act now to strengthen safeguards, stop non-consensual and exploitative content, and comply fully with child protection laws. Anything less than urgent, decisive action to stop this exploitation is unacceptable. From today, my X account will remain inactive and will only be used in the event of a major incident. I value social media as a way to connect with people across Merseyside and I would urge my followers to continue to engage with me through my other social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube). They can sign up to my monthly newsletter, visit my website and get in touch by phone. I will also explore new channels to ensure I am accessible as possible to communities across Merseyside.”
