Mara Wilson calls child exploitation a ‘living nightmare’

Wilson split the account into one personal essay published on January 17 in The Guardianin which she connected her own experiences with the increasing concerns about generative AI and digital image manipulation.

“From the age of five to 13, I was a child actor. And while we’ve heard a lot of horror stories lately about the abusive things that happened behind the scenes to child actors, I always felt safe while filming,” she began.

However, Wilson said the danger she was placed in was “in the hands of the public.”

“Hollywood throws you in the pool,” I always tell people, “but it’s the audience that holds your head underwater,” she said.

“Before I was even in high school, my image was used for Child Sexual Abuse (CSAM) material. I had been featured on fetish websites and photoshopped into pornography,” the actress added.

“Grown men sent me creepy letters. I wasn’t a pretty girl—my awkward age lasted from about 10 to about 25—and I was almost exclusively in family-friendly films. But I was a public figure, so I was accessible. That’s what child molesters are looking for: access. And nothing has made me more accessible than the Internet,” she continued.