Elizabeth Nolan Brown
@enbrown.bsky.social
sex, speech, tech, justice, parenting, politics, & panic ✨ senior editor @reason.com, journalism instructor at University of Cincinnati, Midwestern mom
Thank you. Debated whether to cover this bc I don't want to look like I'm defending ICE in any way but, like you said, the whole trafficking narrative concocted around stuff like this actually plays into deportation agendas
February 11, 2026 at 6:57 PM
Thank you. Debated whether to cover this bc I don't want to look like I'm defending ICE in any way but, like you said, the whole trafficking narrative concocted around stuff like this actually plays into deportation agendas
fwiw, this appears to have just been a plain old prostitution ("end demand") sting, nothing involving minors or sex trafficking reason.com/2026/02/11/a...
A viral story claims an ICE worker was caught in a child sex trafficking sting. The truth is much stranger.
The way people are misconstruing a prostitution sting mirrors the way ICE tries to mislead us about deportation stings.
reason.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:49 PM
fwiw, this appears to have just been a plain old prostitution ("end demand") sting, nothing involving minors or sex trafficking reason.com/2026/02/11/a...
... Sex trafficking propaganda also drives support for the deportation stings.
It's all part of the same culture of fear and attempt to increase policing power
By doing sex trafficking propaganda here, people who oppose ICE are only supporting ICE's mission
It's all part of the same culture of fear and attempt to increase policing power
By doing sex trafficking propaganda here, people who oppose ICE are only supporting ICE's mission
February 11, 2026 at 6:45 PM
... Sex trafficking propaganda also drives support for the deportation stings.
It's all part of the same culture of fear and attempt to increase policing power
By doing sex trafficking propaganda here, people who oppose ICE are only supporting ICE's mission
It's all part of the same culture of fear and attempt to increase policing power
By doing sex trafficking propaganda here, people who oppose ICE are only supporting ICE's mission
This isn’t true though reason.com/2026/02/11/a...
A viral story claims an ICE worker was caught in a child sex trafficking sting. The truth is much stranger.
The way people are misconstruing a prostitution sting mirrors the way ICE tries to mislead us about deportation stings.
reason.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:42 PM
This isn’t true though reason.com/2026/02/11/a...
“Sex trafficking” copaganda about sex workers and their clients helps drum up support for vice stings and functions in a much the same way as Trump admin rhetoric about its deportation stings
February 11, 2026 at 5:41 PM
“Sex trafficking” copaganda about sex workers and their clients helps drum up support for vice stings and functions in a much the same way as Trump admin rhetoric about its deportation stings
Ha, no worries. Just wanted to say that I agree with your take
February 11, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Ha, no worries. Just wanted to say that I agree with your take
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
I hate hate hate so much that the world has shrunk so much for kids since I was a kid. We took outside away from them and now we're taking inside too. Exploring and curiosity in different spaces is so important to learning about yourself, and we're shutting them off to every opportunity.
February 10, 2026 at 3:49 PM
I hate hate hate so much that the world has shrunk so much for kids since I was a kid. We took outside away from them and now we're taking inside too. Exploring and curiosity in different spaces is so important to learning about yourself, and we're shutting them off to every opportunity.
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
We often think about censorship in terms of Orwellian censorship -- the government telling us explicitly what we can and cannot say or read.
But throughout history, Orwellian censorship is rare because it's impractical for the government. Self-censorship has always been the preferred method.
But throughout history, Orwellian censorship is rare because it's impractical for the government. Self-censorship has always been the preferred method.
February 10, 2026 at 3:38 PM
We often think about censorship in terms of Orwellian censorship -- the government telling us explicitly what we can and cannot say or read.
But throughout history, Orwellian censorship is rare because it's impractical for the government. Self-censorship has always been the preferred method.
But throughout history, Orwellian censorship is rare because it's impractical for the government. Self-censorship has always been the preferred method.
Reposted by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
If we zoom out from Discord, what we are seeing are companies and regimes coalescing around an inevitable solution that simply bans kids from the Internet.
Australia is already piloting this. South Africa is considering it. Europe and the U.S. are flirting with it.
Australia is already piloting this. South Africa is considering it. Europe and the U.S. are flirting with it.
February 10, 2026 at 3:38 PM
If we zoom out from Discord, what we are seeing are companies and regimes coalescing around an inevitable solution that simply bans kids from the Internet.
Australia is already piloting this. South Africa is considering it. Europe and the U.S. are flirting with it.
Australia is already piloting this. South Africa is considering it. Europe and the U.S. are flirting with it.
They might be! I agree. But you’d be hard pressed to find any research on this topic — including all the alarming studies — without similar design and methodology limitations
February 10, 2026 at 10:34 PM
They might be! I agree. But you’d be hard pressed to find any research on this topic — including all the alarming studies — without similar design and methodology limitations
Yep, that’s exactly what I point out in the post 😜
February 10, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Yep, that’s exactly what I point out in the post 😜
Another study I mention in my newsletter today, this one out of the UK, finds "no evidence that time spent on social media or gaming" predicts later development of depression or anxiety
February 9, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Another study I mention in my newsletter today, this one out of the UK, finds "no evidence that time spent on social media or gaming" predicts later development of depression or anxiety