Explainer: Experts respond to report on sharing of sexual abuse images online

Child sexual abuse material is sexually explicit content including photos, videos, text or non-photographic content such as drawings or computer-generated images that feature minors.

The publication of internet watchdog Hotline’s annual report on Tuesday revealed how prevalent child sexual abuse content is online.

The statistics were troubling, but experts in the sector explain why they are not necessarily surprising.

What is child sexual abuse content?

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is sexually explicit content including photos, videos, text or non-photographic content such as drawings or computer-generated images that feature minors.

Legally referred to as child pornography, experts within the sector refer to it as CSAM to avoid trivialising the harm suffered by victims.

Is it common?

Figures from Hotline.ie, published on Tuesday, showed that of the 10,583 public reports of potentially illegal content online in 2020, 2,852 related to CSAM.

Fiona Jennings, policy and public affairs officer at the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said while the figures were not surprising, they are “alarming”.

Alex Cooney, chief executive of Cyber Safe Kids, said the figures were not surprising but that it "doesn’t take away that this is a rise we don’t want to be seeing”. 

Where is the abuse content coming from?

Ms Jennings said there were two main sources of this content: those which are taken as a result of coercion or grooming, and those which are shared with a partner and then leaked further.

“Sometimes they may be in a relationship with a partner and take these images and share them between them privately. Then sometimes when that relationship ends, those images can go on to be shared further,” she said.

Ms Cooney agreed, adding there are important questions to be answered about the source, given that 78% of the identified material last year were of children aged between four and 12 years of age.

“Are they being pressured? Manipulated by an adult? Children in that age group have greater vulnerability and there is a need for more information about to what extent it is a result of grooming,” she said.

Why is there a demand for this?

In short, for money.

About 42% of child sexual abuse reports were found to be indicative of a commercial nature, which is described as abuse content that appears to have been produced or is being used for the purpose of financial gain by the distributor.

Ms Cooney said that often the end goal of grooming isn't to meet up with the children, but to obtain the abuse imagery.

“They have a value”, she added. 

“It could be because they're in a paedophile ring, and they have to be uploading new material on a regular basis. "

What can be done to educate children on the matter?

Ms Jennings believes that adding a digital element to relationships and sexual education in schools and the school curriculum, in general, is critical to ensuring children understand the dangers of interacting online.

Cyber Safe Kids educates children on these issues, and said ensuring they are critical thinkers is a key part of it.

"We tell them 'if you wouldn't show it to your granny, then don't put it online'," she added.

Is there legislation to prevent this sort of content?

In February, the Government commenced Coco’s law – the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act. 

It also published the General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill at the end of 2020, which seeks to make the internet a safer place.