Even if meant to be shared between other young people, it is illegal for anyone to possess, distribute, or manufacture sexual content involving anyone younger than 18. Even minors found distributing or possessing such images can and have faced legal consequences. AI-generated child sexual abuse images can be used to groom children, law enforcement officials say. And even if they aren’t physically abused, kids can be deeply impacted when their image is morphed to appear sexually explicit.

Children’s commissioner: Pornography affecting 8-year-olds’ behaviour

It was a free market, a trade in images of child sexual abuse, with real images, some self-generated images, and other images produced by artificial intelligence,” said Thiago Tavares, president of SaferNet Brasil. Some adults may justify looking at CSAM by saying to themselves or others that they would never behave sexually with a child in person or that there is no “real” child being harmed. However, survivors have described difficulty healing when their past abuse is continuing to be viewed by strangers, making it hard for them to reclaim that part of their life. Children and teenagers are being sexually abused in order to create the images or videos being viewed.

• Some adults may justify looking at CSAM by saying to themselves or others that they would never behave sexually with a child in person or that there is no “real” child being harmed.
• It has 900 million users worldwide, and, according to its founder and president, it’s run by 35 engineers.
• “This new technology is transforming how child sexual abuse material is being produced,” said Professor Clare McGlynn, a legal expert who specialises in online abuse and pornography at Durham University.
• According to the child advocacy organization Enough Abuse, 37 states have criminalized AI-generated or AI-modified CSAM, either by amending existing child sexual abuse material laws or enacting new ones.

Using the phrase ‘child pornography’ hides the true impact of perpetrators’ behaviour. The lawyer added that enactment of a law requiring website operators and internet service providers to check the products on sale on their websites would help to prevent child porn from being sold online. NAGOYA–Dozens of people across Japan have stepped forward to confess to child pornography purchases and sales following an investigation into a supposedly secure overseas adult video website, sources said. Access guidance, resources and training to help you respond to and prevent incidents of problematic sexual behaviour and harmful sexual behaviour, including child-on-child and peer-on-peer sexual abuse. This review of the literature about online harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) was carried out to help inform and update guidance for practitioners working with children and young people with harmful sexual behaviour. Illegal images, websites or illegal solicitations can also be reported directly to your local police department.

Planning ahead for unexpected situations or things that make you feel unsafe can be helpful in minimizing risk. Safety planning – which may include keeping a schedule, having a support person to call, or finding new ways to connect with friends and peers – can be especially helpful now when so many of our regular support networks have changed or fallen away. Even if you’re not ready to share all of what’s going on for you, you can still talk about your feelings and any struggles you’re having more generally as a way to get support. And, another is to minimize your interactions with youth online and offline – and thinking about how you can put this into practice for yourself if you haven’t already. It’s normal to feel like this isn’t something you can share with other people, or to worry you may be judged, shamed or even punished. And, it also goes over some ways to start thinking about whether there is anyone in your life you’d like to disclose your feelings to.

The children selling explicit videos on OnlyFans

There are specialized therapists who work with adults who are having sexual feelings towards children, or who have other questions or concerns about their sexual feelings, thoughts and/or behaviors. Missing children are increasingly being linked to OnlyFans videos, says the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), known as a global clearing house for reports of child sexual exploitation. While it is illegal to post or share explicit images of someone under the age of 18, Mr Bailey says the police are extremely reluctant to criminalise children for such offences. He says he is more concerned about the risks children are exposing themselves to by appearing on the site. Our Think Before You Share campaign aims to help young people understand the harm of sharing explicit images and videos of themselves, and others, and encourage parents and educators to start timely conversations with children and young people. Speaking to eNCA following the arrest of a Midrand couple accused of possessing and distributing at least 10 million child sexual abuse videos and images, Ephraim Tlhako from the Film and Publication Board said there is renewed concern about the crime.

Up to 3,096 internet domains with child sexual abuse materials were blocked in 2024 amid Globe’s #MakeItSafePH campaign. Young people, including children and child porn teenagers, may look for pictures or videos of their peers doing sexual things because they are curious, or want to know more about sex. Many youth who look for this content do not realize that it is illegal for them to look at it, even if they are a minor themselves. Where multiple children were seen in the images and videos, we saw that Category C images accounted for nearly half.

It is a common misunderstanding that so long as there has been no penetration, we don’t have to worry too much. Yet, to be considered child sexual abuse, behaviors do not have to involve penetration to the vagina, anus, or mouth (by penis, tongue, finger or object), or involve force. Any touching of a child’s or teen’s genitals for the needs or sexual pleasure of an adult or older child is sexual abuse, and while it may not cause immediate physical harm to the child, it is abusive. Andy Burrows, the NSPCC’s head of policy for child safety online, sees its impact differently.