Baroness Kidron, a crossbench peer who campaigns for children’s rights online, said she had been forwarded the advert by concerned people “dozens of times.”

She said she responded with a “scream of pain.”

“Ofcom does not understand their role, they are all we have between us and they most powerful companies in the world, we need grown ups who want results that change people’s lives for the better,” she told the BBC.

And Gemma Kelly, head of policy and public affairs at CEASE, external, was also heavily critical.

“A representative of Ofcom – the organisation responsible for regulating harmful online content – making jokes about an industry which normalises violence against women, monetises sexual assault, and encourages objectification is completely reprehensible,” she said.

Others who work in the charity sector have replied to her, with one person saying the post from an Ofcom member of staff was “grossly offensive” and another calling it “deeply inappropriate and disturbing”.

The BBC asked Ofcom about the accusations – and why other senior staff at the organisation had liked the original post – but received no reply.