Reduced use of child sexual abuse material after online CBT

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have conducted a pioneering study analyzing internet-delivered anonymous cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for people who view images or videos of children being sexually abused. The participants, who were mainly recruited via forums on the encrypted part of the internet called Darknet, reported less use of such material after therapy. The study is published in the journal Internet Interventions.

The spread of images and videos of children being sexually abused is a widespread problem. In 2021, almost 85 million files suspected to contain documented sexual abuse of children, legally referred to as child pornography, were reported to different tiplines around the world, an increase of about 30 percent from 2020.

The researchers in the current study wanted to test if it was possible to overcome these obstacles by offering online-delivered anonymous cognitive behavioural therapy. For two and a half years, the researchers posted adverts and links on Darknet chats and discussion threads until a total of 160 participants from around the world had been recruited.