Detecting, Deterring, Investigating and Prosecuting Technology-Facilitated Child Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse

The occurrence of technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (TF-CSEA) is well documented. However, there is no comprehensive overview of interventions, how well they work, and which aspects of the TF- CSEA offending chains these interventions address. This gap makes it difficult to set up policy, planning, and coordination of interventions across agencies and countries to prevent, detect, deter, investigate, and prosecute these crimes.

This systematic review of academic peer-reviewed literature (n = 86)and organizations’ reports (n = 18) bridges this gap. The review follows the PRISMA protocol on evidence sampling, screening, and analysis. This Synthesis Report offers global insights into types of TF-CSEA interventions, gaps and challenges in existing intervention arrangements, and implications for the TF-CSEA offending chain.

There are four key findings:

1. Technological tools and protocols are the most studied and documented types of intervention, followed by policing and investigation, and legal and regulatory interventions. As a result, detection and investigation; child sexual abuse material (CSAM) generation, storage, and distribution; and grooming are the most studied aspects of TF-CSEA offending chains and intervention pathways. Given the growing uses of digital payment and gift exchange platforms in financing TF-CSEA, legal duties to report suspicious transactions should be extended to these platforms.
2. Technological tools and protocols show promising results. However, these interventions are only as good as their databases of suspected or verified CSAM materials, communication logs and training data. But access to these materials is riddled with ethical and legal dilemmas. Protocols and approaches are needed to develop and test technological tools and protocols in ways that restrict direct access to CSAM data and ensure they do not leave the storage facilities of law enforcement agencies.
3. Legal and regulatory interventions that have positive effects harmonize definitions of TF-CSEA, and set criminal sanctions globally. Impactful laws and regulations tend to have extraterritorial scope, imposing transparency and accountability measures on digital providers. However, the limits of these interventions are set by varying levels of enforcement and the absence of standardized practice interventions.
4. Education, literacy or awareness raising campaigns for children also show promising results as the enable children to recognize behaviors and online interactions that could put them in danger. These findings indicate the need for further behavioral research to establish whether such intervention leads to desired behavioral outcomes. Funding priorities should, therefore, be recalibrated.

‍

ISBN: 978-3-03983-013-8

URL: www.ipie.info/research/sr2026-1

DOI: www.doi.org/10.61452/UZUS7376

Citation: International Panel on the Information Environment [K. Pothong, S. Kaynak, S. Ghai, D. Fry, S.Livingstone, A. Phippen, C. R. Soriano,L. M. Given, P.N. Howard, S. Valenzuela (eds.)], “Detecting, Deterring, Investigating, and Prosecuting Technology-Facilitated Child Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse,” Zurich, Switzerland: IPIE, 2026. Synthesis Report, SR2026.1, doi: 10.61452/UZUS7376.