Survey Also Reveals Nearly 3 in 4 Parents See CSAM as a Serious Problem

Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - April 18, 2023) - RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, today released the findings of a new RAINN/YouGov survey of parents and caregivers to explore their awareness of and concern about child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.

"We hear parents loud and clear: we need to work harder to stop online child sexual abuse," said Scott Berkowitz, RAINN president and founder. "April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and RAINN is focused on stopping children from being exposed to or exploited for CSAM, urging Congress to provide more funding to investigate those exploiting children, and providing survivors the help they need."

"Parents are demanding more action from tech and social media companies, law enforcement, educators, and policymakers. In particular, they want to see a quick response, expecting that social media companies report illegal materials to law enforcement within 24 hours; and remove illegal materials within 24 hours of being reported," Berkowitz continued.

The national survey of 1,000 US parents/caregivers of children between 8 and 21 years old found that:

• 84% of parents surveyed (87% of men and 82% of women) said they were aware that child sexual abuse material exists online.
• Nearly 3 in 4 parents surveyed see CSAM as a serious problem (80% of women and 64% of men).
• Mothers and older parents surveyed were more likely to see the problem as very serious, while younger parents (those under 30) were much more confident in their own ability to protect their kids.
• More than 8 in 10 parents and caregivers surveyed felt at least fairly confident that they could protect their children from exploitation.
• 9 in 10 parents and caregivers felt moderate or total responsibility to protect their children from CSAM.

However, parents and caregivers want more help keeping their children safe:

• 82% of parents/caregivers surveyed feel that technology and social media companies should do more to combat the creation or viewing of CSAM.
• 76% feel that law enforcement and lawmakers should do more.
• 85% say that policymakers and elected officials should do more.

Facts about the CSAM crisis:

• Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) – images, videos with audio, even live-streaming of children being sexually abused, including infants – can be accessed across the globe instantly, resulting in the victimization of these children over and over again.
• Last year the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's (NCMEC) CyberTipline received over 32 million reports, the highest number of reports ever received in one year.
• According to NCMEC, as of 2021, there were an estimated 85 million images and videos of CSAM reported to its CyberTipline.
• The U.S. Department of Justice-funded undercover systems detected over 325,000 unique IP addresses distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), most of which are not being investigated.
• Studies say that more than 50% of suspects in CSAM-related crimes also commit hands-on offenses against children in their communities.
• Less than 10% of annual leads identified in these undercover databases are under investigation due to limited resources. The most serious cases are not necessarily the ones being investigated due to a lack of well-defined criteria for prioritization.

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About RAINN

RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, founded by president Scott Berkowitz in 1994, operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, help organizations improve their sexual assault prevention and response programs, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, free, confidential help is available 24/7 by calling 800.656.HOPE (4673) or visiting online.RAINN.org.

Erinn Robinson
Director of Media Relations
erinnr@rainn.org

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/162875