Resale apps face scrutiny over user safety concerns

In June, a mother named Hannah listed her seven-year-old daughter’s pink swimming costume for sale on Vinted, hoping other parents using the site would purchase the £1 item. She soon received a message from a user with a male handle who asked, “So a little girl wore this yh [yeah]?” Hannah replied confirming this, then sent a retort asking, “What do you think?” before blocking the user and reporting the incident to Vinted, describing the exchange as “disturbing” and “disgusting”.

This case is among many where innocuous listings of secondhand clothes belonging to children and young people are attracting sexualised comments via the direct messaging functions on reselling applications. The Children’s Society has reported that some young users are increasingly being asked for indecent photos in exchange for money or gifts. Additionally, some photos of young users posted on these platforms have been used to create AI deepfaked nude images without their consent.

Ministers are considering a ban on under-16s using platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Depop, according to the Sunday Times, due to mounting fears that private messaging features are being used for child exploitation. Vinted, which currently requires users to be at least 18, would also be required to implement strict age verification features. The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, stated on Sunday that the government is “looking seriously” at expanding the social media ban for under-16s to include these marketplaces. It is understood that these regulations were sent for cabinet signoff this week, with Nandy expected to present the plans to parliament in December.

Young women have shared their concerning experiences with buyers on TikTok and Reddit. These reports include buyers asking sellers if items come with used underwear, or making unsolicited sexual comments regarding their appearance. Lucy, who began reselling clothes on Depop at 15, described several unsettling interactions. In one instance, she listed an item for £10, but a user offered to pay more, stating: “The person had changed it to £30 and said: ‘If you include your pants I’ll pay more’.” She described the experience as “awful”.

Lucy later discovered that images of her taken when she was under 18, which were posted to sell clothes, had been scraped from Depop and were circulating on Reddit. She noted, “These pictures are actually still being resurfaced on these Reddit pages, which is quite frustrating,” adding that it involved hundreds of other girls. Around two years ago, Lucy found that her old Depop and Vinted photos had been stolen and manipulated using AI on Discord to create “fully nude” deepfakes of her. She said: “It’s deplorable that people think it’s acceptable to take people’s images and make them into AI porn – I felt really, really upset.”

Vinted states that minors can only use the site under the supervision of adult account holders, while Depop requires users to be at least 13 to create an account, and over 18 to use the Depop payment systems and PayPal. However, the UK communications watchdog, Ofcom, found that 15% of eight to 14-year-olds use Vinted monthly, and other reports suggest some children bypass checks to access age-restricted services. Karen Garland, head of policy at the Marie Collins Foundation, a charity supporting victims of technology-assisted child sexual exploitation, warned that a blanket ban might exclude children from the internet entirely, stating: “We need to make spaces for children and young people that are safer by design.”

Lucy remains conflicted about the potential ban, noting it is a “real shame” because some young girls from different backgrounds may rely on the money. However, she acknowledged that selling clothes on these sites can have “extremely dangerous” consequences. As she is now 25 and continues to find sexualised images of herself online, she noted that the risk does not end at 18.

A Vinted spokesperson said: “We have zero tolerance for harmful or explicit content and use a combination of dedicated moderation teams and detection tools to spot and remove activity that breaks our rules. When we identify inappropriate behaviour, we take action, up to a permanent ban or reporting to the relevant authorities.” An eBay spokesperson stated: “We have clear policies and safeguards to protect our community, including encouraging people to keep conversations on eBay, avoid sharing personal contact details and report any suspicious or inappropriate behaviour.”