Tech Platforms Used by Online Child Sexual Abuse Offenders

By  Suojellaan Lapsia, Protect Children

A new report by Suojellaan Lapsia, Protect Children provides chilling insights on the ways offenders use mainstream tech platforms to access and distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM, the more apt term for "child pornography"). Some highlights:

• 77% of surveyed CSAM offenders have encountered CSAM or links to CSAM on the surface web (e.g. on a social media platform, a pornography website, a messaging app, or other mainstream website) 

• 32% say that they have used social media platforms to search for, view, or disseminate CSAM.

  • The top platforms used for this purpose were Instagram (29%), X (Twitter) (26%), and Discord (23%).

• 40% said they sought contact with a child after viewing CSAM

• Of those, 70% sought such contact online (e.g. on social media platforms, gaming platforms, or messaging apps

Suojellaan Lapsia, Protect Children ry, 2024. 35p.