Grooming, Child Abuse, & Child Sexual Exploitation

Open Access: No.

Abstract

Many offenders of child sexual abuse are minors. However, little is known about young people who access and/or exchange child sexual exploitation material (CSEM). By analyzing the conversation reports made by helpline employees, this qualitative study examined the experiences of individuals up to the age of 25 who contacted the Dutch Stop It Now helpline. The research provides insight into the personal circumstances of young offenders, the situational context leading to offending behavior, the coping strategies that young offenders use to prevent offending, and their need for help. It is found that young offenders report various psychological issues. Moreover, the research shows risky pornography viewing behavior and an escalation dynamic that precedes offending behavior. Starting points for prevention are discussed.

Relevance

“Almost half of young CSEM [child sexual exploitation material] offenders report risky pornography viewing behavior or an escalation thereof. Pornography use is defined as risky when individuals are searching for images of minors, for example, nudist or animation. In the Netherlands, while virtual CSEM is illegal, there is a gray area when it concerns nudist images or cartoons. There is a risk that individuals navigating this gray area come across illegal images of minors.”

“More than a third of the CSEM offenders report an escalation in their pornography viewing behavior. They often say that they started viewing pornography on legal websites, searching for “teens” or “young” to find pornography with actresses around their own age. For many young CSEM viewers, repeated exposure to pornographic material resulted in a need to find more stimulation to experience the same level of sexual arousal. Therefore, they started looking for more extreme pornographic material. This resulted in a downward spiral where they eventually ended up with CSEM. Sometimes the escalation process of searching for material with increasingly younger children occurs together with searching for other extreme sexual and violent material. These young viewers describe arousal and a rush while looking at extreme or illegal images.”

Many of the young CSEM viewers are triggered in their viewing by depression, anxiety, stress, and other psychological issues, and view porn and CSEM as a maladaptive coping mechanism.

“A third of the young CSEM offenders who report escalation behavior also say that they are addicted to legal pornography. Based on conversation reports, it is not always clear whether there is a formal diagnosis of pornography addiction or if they labeled it themselves. These CSEM offenders very frequently view pornography for long periods of time and have tried (unsuccessfully) to stop their viewing behavior. Some say that they started watching pornography when they were very young. They attribute their CSEM viewing to their addiction to pornography, which CSEM has become a part of.”

“A small number of the individuals that have viewed CSEM report to have stumbled upon CSEM accidentally. They were not actively searching for this material but were confronted with it nonetheless. For example, because of risky pornography use, clicking on a pop-up advertisement on a pornography website or receiving CSEM from someone else.”

“Some CSEM offenders report having had early sexual experiences, viewing pornography when they were very young, or having experienced sexual abuse as a child. In some cases, they attribute their offending behavior to these early sexual experiences.”

“This research highlights the importance of sex education including pornography literacy. Many young CSEM offenders had questions about the illegality of online sexual behavior and how to stay safe while watching pornography. It is important that they have access to accurate information on this subject and a safe space to ask questions. Pornography literacy education can include stereotypes often portrayed in pornography, but also how to safely navigate this online environment and guidelines on what to do when you have concerns. Furthermore, interventions should consider different pathways toward CSEM, including the escalation process toward extreme and illegal pornography. There is a responsibility for pornography websites to make sure illegal material is not easily accessed from their platforms.”

Citation

van der Bruggen, M., van den Heuvel, K., Augusteijn, I., Janssen, E., & Rijken, C. (2026). Experiences of Young Offenders of Child Sexual Exploitation Material Who Contact the Dutch Stop It Now Helpline: A Qualitative Study. Victims & Offenders, 21(3), 486–505. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2025.2557899