Matilda star Mara Wilson says she found child sexual abuse material made of herself when she was 12 years old
Warning: This article contains discussion which some readers may find distressing.
Child star Mara Wilson has told how she was left horrified by the disturbing search results which appeared after she looked herself up online at the age of 12.
The actress, 38, said that what she found after innocently typing her name into the internet is one of the major reasons that she walked away from her promising career in showbiz just as it was taking off.
She explained that she has spent every moment since 'wishing that she had never done it', as she stumbled across grossly explicit images of herself as a 'prepubescent child' that had been digitally doctored by creeps.
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Wilson - who is best known for her roles in cult classics such as Mrs Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street, Matilda and A Simple Wish - recalled how she found an online forum brimming with sickening content.
According to the California-born star, online predators had manipulated images taken from the movies she starred in as a child to produce tons of disturbing material.
"The summer I turned 12-years-old, I decided to look myself up on the internet," Wilson said.
"And I spent the next 25 years or so - I mean honestly, more than that, still to this day - wishing that I had never done it," she told Channel 4 News.
"Because what I found was people on a forum saying that they had images of me nude and having sex."
Wilson pointed out that at this tender point in her life, she 'had never been kissed', so therere was zero chance that anything 'like that' could have been out there about her.
"Most of the pictures of me out in the public eye were of me from ages five to nine," she said. "So if they were using my image, they were using images of me as a prepubescent child.
"I was incredibly devastated. I could not stop crying. I felt ashamed.
"I kind of tried to hide...and I think it may have been one of the factors that led me to not want to act anymore."
After wrapping up her role in 2000's Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Wilson left the entertainment industry behind for more than a decade.
She said that a big motivation for her removing herself from the spotlight was the horrifying content she had found online - and she believes the risk of this sort of thing is even greater these days because of AI.
In an opinion piece published earlier this year, Wilson opened up about the predatory behaviour that appearing in popular films exposed her to as a child.
In an article for The Guardian, she explained she 'always felt safe' while she was on set, but added: "The only way show business did endanger me was by putting me in the public eye.
"Any cruelty and exploitation I received as a child actor was at the hands of the public. 'Hollywood throws you into the pool,' I always tell people, 'but it’s the public that holds your head underwater'.
"Before I was even in high school, my image had been used for child sexual abuse material (CSAM). I’d been featured on fetish websites and Photoshopped into pornography. Grown men sent me creepy letters."
Wilson said that although she was aware the disgusting images were fake, it was still a 'painful, violating experience'.
"A living nightmare I hoped no other child would have to go through," she went on, before explaining she fears that generative AI programs have now made it 'infinitely easier' for online predators to target other youngsters.
"Millions of children could be forced to live my same nightmare," Wilson added. "We need to be the ones demanding companies that allow the creation of CSAM be held accountable.
"We need to be demanding legislation and technological safeguards. We also need to examine our own actions: nobody wants to think that if they share photos of their child, those images could end up in CSAM.
"But it is a risk, one that parents need to protect their young children from, and warn their older children about. If our obsession with Stranger Danger showed anything, it’s that most of us want to prevent child endangerment and harassment. It’s time to prove it."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Alternatively, if you or someone you know has had an intimate image or video released without their consent, you can visit the Revenge Porn Helpline for help deciding what to do.
Topics: Film, US News, Celebrity, Crime, Technology
Olivia Burke