Identifying the Demographic and Internet Use Characteristics of Technology-Facilitated Child Sex Offenders Operating in the Australian, U.S. and U.K. General Population

TL;DR

This study compares the demographics and online behaviors of technology-facilitated child sex offenders in Australia, the U.S., and the U.K., finding higher rates in the U.S. and common traits like working with children and heavy online sexual activity.

Contribution

The study provides novel population-level insights into technology-facilitated child sex offenders, comparing demographic and internet use patterns across three countries.

Findings

Technology-facilitated child sex offending rates were highest in the U.S. (10.9%) compared to Australia (7.5%) and the U.K. (7.0%).

Offenders were more likely to work with children, be employed, married, and have higher education levels.

Online offenders showed increased sexual activity online, including paying for sexual content and viewing violent pornography.

Abstract

Research on technology-facilitated child sex offenders outside of forensic and clinical samples is scarce but necessary to inform prevention, early intervention, and investigation. This article describes and compares the demographic characteristics and internet use habits of technology-facilitated child sex offenders sourced from three quota-based samples comparable to the Australian (n = 1,945), U.S. (n = 1,473), and U.K. (n = 1,506) adult male population. The odds (99% CI) of technology-facilitated child sex offending, relative to non-offenders, were calculated for demographic factors (e.g. age, sexual orientation, and number of children in household), hours per day spent online, frequency of engagement in common online behaviours (e.g. sending emails, online messaging, and private video chatting), use of social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat), online pornography viewership, and use of privacy software (e.g. The Onion Router [TOR], Telegram, and Element). Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, educational attainment, household income, and residential location were conducted separately for each sample, with effect sizes formally compared between countries. The study identified significantly higher rates of technology-facilitated offending against children in the United States (10.9%) compared to Australia (7.5%) and United Kingdom (7.0%). Online offenders were between 2 and 3.7 times more likely to work with children and, depending on the jurisdiction, were significantly more likely to be employed, married/living with a partner, have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and live with a child. Across all jurisdictions, technology-facilitated offenders were significantly more sexually active online, including paying for sexual services and content, visiting romance and dating websites, and viewing violent or animal pornography. The article considers the implications of these findings for prevention, early intervention, and more effective detection of technology-facilitated offending, including the role of internet regulation and the financial sector in online child protection.

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