Peer-reviewed article
Risk Factors for Child Sexual Abuse Material Users Contacting Children Online
Tegan Insoll, Anna Katariina Ovaska, Juha Nurmi, Mikko Aaltonen, Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5The study looks at 1,546 anonymous people who answered a survey while searching for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the dark web. About 42% said they had sought direct contact with children online after viewing CSAM, and 58% said they feared that viewing it might lead to sexual acts with a child or adult. The authors examine which factors are linked to a higher self-reported likelihood of contacting children online. Several factors were found to be associated with this contact.
Key points
- The sample was 1,546 anonymous, self-selected respondents to a 'Help us to help you' survey on the dark web.
- 42% reported seeking direct contact with children through online platforms after viewing CSAM.
- 58% reported fear that viewing CSAM might lead to sexual acts with a child or adult.
- Associated factors: more frequent CSAM use, older age at first exposure, and viewing CSAM depicting toddlers and infants.
- Other associated factors: thoughts of self-expressing before viewing CSAM, and contact with other CSAM users.
Limitations
The data are self-reported by anonymous, self-selected respondents, so they may not represent all CSAM users, and the associations do not show cause and effect. The abstract does not name the countries involved or give further methodological detail.
Abstract
This study explores a sample of 1,546 anonymous individuals who voluntarily responded to our "Help us to help you" survey when searching for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the dark web. Nearly half (42%) of the respondents reported that they had sought direct contact with children through online platforms after viewing CSAM, and 58% reported feeling afraid that viewing CSAM might lead to sexual acts with a child or adult. This study analyses whether certain risk factors are linked to a higher likelihood of contacting children after viewing CSAM. It finds that certain factors are associated with a self-reported likelihood of having contacted children online after viewing CSAM, including more frequent use of CSAM, older age of first exposure to CSAM, viewing CSAM depicting toddlers and infants, having thoughts of self-expressing prior to viewing CSAM, and being in contact with other CSAM users.