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Is viewing child pornography (child sexual abuse material) child sexual abuse?

FAQ Category:
Worried About Self

Yes. Child pornography is now referred to as child sexual abuse material or CSAM to more accurately reflect the crime being committed.

CSAM is illegal because it is filming of an actual crime. It shows children being sexually abused. Children can’t consent to sexual activity, and therefore cannot participate in pornography.

People can get in trouble before they even realize it. When it is so easy to access sexually explicit materials on the Internet, users can find themselves acting on curiosities they didn’t have before. Some people accidentally find sexual images of children and are curious or aroused by them. They may justify their behavior by saying they weren’t looking for the pictures, they just “stumbled across” them, etc. Some people find themselves losing control over their use of pornography, for example by spending more and more time viewing it and, for some, looking for new and different types of pornography, including images of children. 

Some adults may justify their viewing of child sexual abuse material by saying to themselves or others that they would never behave sexually with a child in person or that there is no “real” child being harmed. However, survivors have described a difficulty in healing when their past abuse is continually being viewed by strangers, making it hard for them to reclaim that part of their life. You can remind an adult engaging in these abusive behaviors that it is illegal, that the images they’re viewing are crime scene photographs, and there is a real survivor being harmed from these images.

If you find what you believe to be sexual images of children on the Internet, report this immediately to authorities by contacting Cybertipline. If someone you know is concerned about their Internet activity, seek the help of professionals who specialize in this area.

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