Vinted bans ‘disgusting’ sexually explicit ads.

Online marketplace Vinted says it has removed sexually explicit ads, after a mother reported seeing a video depicting what she thought was a pornographic scene while searching for clothes.

Kirsty Hopley, 44, from Carlisle, said she was searching the app for a dress when the ad appeared.

She was sitting next to her teenage daughter at the time.

Ms Hopley reported the content to Vinted and later contacted Ofcom.

She told BBC News that the video, which started playing automatically, showed a “disgusting” scene and a violent sexual encounter.

The law and criminology teacher said she had installed online content filters in her home, and was shocked to see such material on the e-commerce platform.

“I probably won’t buy anything from there again, which is disappointing because I love Vintage,” she said. “But I don’t want to see content like that.”

The platform, which has no age restrictions, recently faced scrutiny in France after reports that some sellers were Use the Site to direct users to adult content.

The ad Hubley saw was promoting DramaWave, a mobile app that produces short written stories for social media platforms.

Many of their series seem to follow romantic storylines over the course of multiple episodes that are only a few minutes long each.

Advertisements have now been blocked, Vented said.

A spokesperson for the platform said it has a “zero-tolerance policy for unwanted sexual contact and the promotion of sexual content.”

“This includes banning sexually explicit ads on our platform,” they said.

“When listings or ads are found to violate these rules, we will take action, including blocking or removing them.”

BBC has contacted DramaWave for comment.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) told BBC News its rules are clear “that ads must not cause harm or offence”.

“Harmful or degrading images of women in advertising are completely unacceptable, and we take a zero-tolerance approach to this type of content,” they said in a statement.

“We encourage anyone who has concerns about an ad they have seen to contact us,” they added.

Ms Hopley told BBC News she expects the UK Online Safety Act (OSA)which includes laws to protect children from explicit content online, to prevent such material from appearing on her phone.

However, the only paid ads that fall under the scope of OSA are fraudulent content.