Children love social media.
And so do sexual predators.
Tech platforms enable the two to interact, with awful consequences for thousands of children who end up exploited in Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)
Predators use social media to identify children for grooming and exploitation.
Tech companies are legally required to report CSAM if and when they discover it, but not to proactively look for and remove it.
Our members, the Canadian Center for Child Protection, provide support for survivors, prevention training for parents and tech tools that track CSAM.
The Internet is drowning in child sex abuse content.
A quarter of children say they have live streamed with a stranger.
Reports of CSAM are up 15,000% since invention of smart phones, social media
Ad Revenue Declined
in the wake of Stop Hate for Profit & Christchurch
download ACCO’s csam fact sheet
It’s free to download a pdf copy, but please consider making a $10 donation towards our research.
How to Best Protect Kids from Online Predators
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation recommends:
Discuss Internet safety and develop an Online safety plan with children before they engage in Online activity.
Establish clear guidelines, teach children to spot red flags, and encourage your kids to have open communication with you.
Supervise young children’s use of the Internet, including periodically checking their profiles, posts and contacts.
Keep electronic devices in open, common areas of the home and consider setting time limits for their use.
Review games, apps, and social media sites before they are downloaded or used by children. Pay particular attention to games and apps that feature end-to-end encryption, direct messaging, video chats, file uploads, and user anonymity, which are frequently relied upon by online child predators.
“67% of CSAM survivors say the distribution of their images impacts them as profoundly as the hands-on abuse because the images are permanent and the distribution never ends.”
—Canadian Center for Child Protection
Reports
Reports by the Canadian Center for Child Protection, an ACCO member.
An Analysis of Financial Sextortion Victim Posts
Reviewing the Enforcement of App Age Ratings in Apple’s App Store and Google Play
How We Are Failing Children: Changing The Paradigm
Project Arachnid: Online Availability of Child Sexual Abuse Material
Media Coverage
Get Help:
NECMEC cyber tipline (US)
FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center
CEOP Hotline (UK)
NSPCC Hotline (UK)
Europol Cybercrime Reports (Europe)
InHope (Multinational)
ACCCE (Australia)