Fact check: Are kids being trafficked on Etsy? Viral pizzagate conspiracy theory surrounding disturbing images on the platform debunked

People were left extremely concerned when multiple social media users claimed that the e-commerce site Etsy was being used for trafficking children. They alleged that the site, which had various advertisements of high-priced images of children eating food, was a cover for a trafficking ring. They alleged that the word pizza was code for p*dophilia and that terms like "girl pizza" were concerning.

Comparisons were drawn to the original Pizzagate conspiracy theory that alleged a Democrat-controlled trafficking ring in the nonexistent basement of a Pizza place. However, there has yet to be any evidence regarding Etsy's involvement in child trafficking, which the company denied in a statement to USA Today. The concerning images were taken off the site for violating the site's terms of use.

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Etsy spokesperson debunks child trafficking claims

Multiple social media users were concerned about several advertisements they discovered on Etsy. Amidst the plethora of posts, the most popular ones were a tweet from Liz Crokin and a Facebook post by Cody Osbourne. Crokin's screenshots showed multiple suspicious items for sale.

An instant download, "picture of a pizza," that showed only a picture of the pizza cost $9000. "Pizza File - Instant Download" cost $4000 and showed the picture of a girl who looked animated eating a slice of pizza. "Chicken File - Instant Download" offered a similar picture of a boy holding chicken drumsticks, and cost $4000, among other similar advertisements. Crokin alleged:

"It’s been well-established that pizza is a p*dophile code — via the FBI, DOJ, other law enforcement documents and mainstream media articles such as the Wall Street Journal report from earlier this year — which makes these listings extra alarming."

She added:

"Also, authorities have been able to bust many p*dophiles because they used pizza as a p*dophile code in an attempt to arrange to r*pe a child or to exchange child porn."

Some of the images shared by users even had descriptions, with one named "young pizza" that sold for an astonishing $10000 even specifying "girl pizza" and "Arrives in a crate. Ordinary looking packaging". "Etsy is the new Wayfair - Pizzagate is Real 🍕,": wrote Cody Osbourne as he shared a bunch of similar advertisements on Facebook.

Many, including Osbourne, linked the current situation to Pizzagate, a conspiracy theory that alleged that powerful Democrats were running a bunch of child trafficking rings. The debunked theory alleged that the non-existent basement of the Comet Ping Pong pizza restaurant in DC was being used to traffick children.

Back in 2020, in a case similar to today, many alleged that Wayfair was even being used for child trafficking. However, like the original Pizzagate theory, the latest Pizzagate conspiracy is also debunked mainly due to an acute lack of evidence. Apart from the noise being made because of the rather bizarre advertisements and pictures, there is no evidence to prove that Etsy is being used for child trafficking.

Multiple news outlets, including USA Today and Newsweek, debunked the Etsy conspiracy. An Etsy spokesperson reportedly told USA Today that the claims were "baseless." Despite this, the ads were taken down for their suspicious pricing and supposed illegitimacy, violating the site's terms of use.

The anonymous spokesperson also confirmed that the ad did not appear to pose "legitimate child safety concerns."However, it should be noted that no media outlet has conducted a thorough investigation into the ads about what they were selling.