Thousands of Twitter layoffs have left users exposed to child sexual exploitation, trolling and disinformation, according to a report by the BBC.

The news broadcaster said that academic data backs up testimony from insiders which suggests that harassment is on the rise and trolls are being “emboldened”.

Both existing and ex Twitter employees told BBC Panorama that methods designed to protect users are becoming hard to maintain following the job cuts.

The news comes after the company cut around half of its workforce last October, or around 7,500 employees, following Elon Musk's highly public takeover of the company.

Since then, it has also been reported that Twitter has cut a further 2,000 staff members.

The BBC says that its investigation reveals that a rise in child sexual exploitation following lay offs and changes brought in by Musk is not being sufficiently communicated with police.

A recent employee also claimed that the platform is rife with targeted harassment which aims to curb freedom of expression. They added that foreign influence operations are going undetected after previously having been removed from the site daily.

The probe reveals figures which suggest that misogynistic hate targeting has increased since October 2022, with a 69 per cent rise in new accounts following misogynistic and abusive profiles. The BBC said that rape survivors are also being targeted by accounts that have seen more activity since the billionaire bought the company.

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