Social Media Creators Are Turning Poverty into Profit, Putting Vulnerable Women and Girls at Greater Risk of Violence, Trafficking, and Harassment
“Buddy, she’s bipolar; she’s a drug addict.”
“She did it to herself.”
“I can fix her.”
These are real comments on a YouTube video that exploits a 16-year-old unhoused girl for clicks. Many include sexualized emojis and degrading remarks.
In the video, the teen stands outside a public library as the interviewer doxxes her—disclosing where she is each day and at what time—then shares her email and social accounts. He also pans over her body while making inappropriate comments.
For her protection, we won’t share this video or this YouTuber. I am sad to share that I tried to send her a warning to change locations. I inquired if she was safe. She never replied. I can only hope that she decided to take precautions and move on to another location.
The Broader Issue: Homeless Women Face Unique Safety Risks
Homeless women and girls already face numerous threats on the street. Content like this amplifies those dangers.
According to the article Sexual Violence Against Women Experiencing Homelessness in Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy, author Lindsey Zirkle says that, “women experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to multiple forms of interpersonal victimization.”
In fact, homeless women face sexual violence from all directions, including from strangers, sex traffickers, and partners while on the street. They also risk sexual violence in dangerous housing situations and in shelters.
Many factors heighten the risk of sexual assault for women experiencing homelessness. Addiction and other mental health challenges can leave women more vulnerable. Childhood trauma—such as physical or sexual abuse—often compounds this risk, especially for those who later rely on survival strategies like trading sex for shelter or safety. Physical limitations, including disabilities, further increase vulnerability.
One study found that “97% of the participants, all of whom were homeless and suffering from a mental illness, reported experiences of violent victimization at some point in their lives, with 25% reporting at least one sexual or physical assault in the last month.”
There are many reasons why homeless women and girls are targeted. In some cases, the attacker thinks that women will not report these crimes, or worse yet, that law enforcement will not take these crimes seriously.
These assumptions speak to the power of stigma and stereotypes made toward homeless people, as well as criminalization at the policy level.
Why Predators Target and Re-Traumatize Homeless Women
In a National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information paper, authors Dr. Janny Li and Dr. Lianne Urada explain how homeless women and girls are targeted and exploited for various forms of violence, including sexual violence.
Offenders seek specific characteristics in their targets, Li and Urada write. These characteristics are described as women or girls appearing “hooked” on drugs, requiring financial assistance, or simply being alone.
“Women facing homelessness are disproportionately approached for sexual acts. Women residing on the streets reported sexual assault, verbal harassment, and unwanted physical contact compared to women living in shelters.”
In the above study, a female respondent confirmed that she had been “forced and deceived into exchanging sex for money (otherwise defined as human trafficking).” In another case, a female respondent stated that “predators and offenders lure women through prospects of a job.”
Men have also observed women being approached or kidnapped for sexual acts. A male interviewee stated, “I have seen people get kidnapped. Mainly women. They just take them and you don’t see them again, I mean, these women are lost in drugs and nobody looks for them after that.”
“Women who experience repeated acts of violence or trauma are targeted and then re-traumatized, a cyclical pattern that makes it difficult for women to escape homelessness,” the authors write in the above study.
The dark reality is that predators operate under the assumption that society does not care about homeless women, especially if that woman also suffers from addiction. And in this case, the offenders are right. This fact alone teaches us about the real-life consequences of stigmatization – not only against poor and homeless women, but also women who have an addiction, mental illness, who are sex workers, and victims of sexual violence. These stigmas compound each other and increase the violence women face on the street.
The Rise of ‘Poverty Content’ and Exploitation for Views
Exploitation now thrives online—particularly on TikTok and YouTube—where creators turn poverty into content.
Nearly 5 billion people use social media. A growing slice of what they see is “poverty content”—often mistaken for advocacy but designed to drive engagement, not solutions.
Poverty content, sometimes known as “poverty porn”, can look like many different things. Its purpose is to generate views, clicks, likes, comments, and profit. It often sensationalizes poverty and homelessness, and turns systemic poverty into yet another revenue stream.
In our political climate, homeless people are often used as “rage bait” to generate views and comments. As comments about “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” flood in, the video soon goes viral. It can perpetuate stereotypes, misrepresent, and mislead viewers away from what is real, and further endanger the lives of homeless people. Commonly seen as “interviews” that might appear good-natured at first glance, can take a dark turn if you pay attention.
Let’s take the YouTube video described above: the “journalist” exploits a homeless girl for its potential viral-ability. He knows that viewers will be drawn to it. At the same time, he puts her at extreme risk of violence by disclosing her location, prior sex work, and drug use, while also taking suggestive, inappropriate shots of her body.
Content creators often videotape homeless people without their consent, oftentimes in the most exploitative ways. I have reported YouTube videos of homeless people being filmed during a possible overdose. Instead of administering naloxone nasal spray (Narcan) or calling for help, content creators rush over to videotape a possible death—all in the name of clicks and views.
As expected, the attitude of the comments mirrors the attitude of the content creator as well. When a content creator approaches a homeless person without an ounce of respect or dignity, that is what viewers see.
Regarding the 16-year-old, the kinds of comments I saw were appalling. Typical comments include:
- “Where can I find her?” requests (stalking risk)
- Shaming her clothing
- Claims that drug use should disqualify help
- Few calls for policy reform or protection
- The recurring myth that homelessness is a personal failing
How Social Media Amplifies the Danger
Imagine being a teen on the street. A stranger approaches with a camera. You share your story, trusting they’ll protect you—at the very least, your location. Instead, they doxx you, handing predators a roadmap. Intent doesn’t erase harm; adults should know better. They should be aware of the fact that predators can see this content and target the homeless woman or girl in that video.
Despite the clear dangers of doxxing, especially minors being doxxed by adults, few states have anti-doxxing policies. Doxxing involves revealing another person’s location or personal details online, typically with the intent to cause harm.
Doxxing can lead to offline and online bullying, harassment, including sexual harassment, and physical or sexual harm. These threats can then be amplified by even more threats caused by homelessness. The threats that homeless women and girls face while homeless, such as physical and sexual assault, and trafficking, can be further escalated by doxxing. Millions of people, including predators, will see exploitative videos of homeless girls and women. If those girls and women are also being doxxed, they become an immediate target for predators.
Real-World Impact and Calls for Change
Little has been done to protect minors from online exploitation, harassment, and doxxing. However, in June, an anti-doxxing bill was proposed in Maine. This bill allows for civil lawsuits against a person who engages in doxxing of a minor and also would allow a minor to obtain a protection from harassment order. Unfortunately, only a few states have taken any steps against the doxxing of minors.
We can protect exploited youth by acting: report accounts that disclose locations or personal details—especially of minors. Calling creators out in the comments helps, but takedowns help more. Report, document, repeat. I hope this piece spurs you to press policymakers to end youth homelessness and address violence against homeless women and girls—online and off.