A study conducted by the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute revealed that men who commit sexual offences against children are almost four times more likely to use dating platforms than non-offenders. The research, which included a sample of 5,000 men from the UK, US, and Australia, found that nearly two-thirds of men who have sexually assaulted children use dating platforms, with over one in five offenders using dating apps daily. The study also found that 11.5% of surveyed men admitted to having sexual feelings towards children, and 11% confessed to committing sexual offences against minors. Researchers have labeled the online sexual exploitation and abuse of children a global “pandemic” that affects more than 300 million children annually.
The European Commission has submitted proposals to update child sexual abuse laws, including potentially scanning end-to-end encrypted communications. Currently, online companies are allowed to flag illegal images under a temporary exemption from the EU’s e-privacy law, but this exemption is set to expire in April 2026. Professor Michael Salter, who co-authored the report, emphasized the lack of adequate child protection measures on dating apps and the need for tighter verification steps, such as mandatory ID checks and tools to detect predatory behaviors like grooming language. Salter called for the adoption of more robust user identification methods and AI tools to flag problematic conversations on dating platforms.
Debi Fry, Global Director of Data for Childlight and a Professor at the University of Edinburgh, stressed that child sexual exploitation and abuse is preventable and called for proactive prevention strategies to address the underlying determinants of abuse. Fry emphasized the importance of tackling the financial and technological ecosystems that sustain abuse. The report also highlighted the role of mainstream companies in benefitting from and perpetuating technology-facilitated sexual abuse, with abuse-related traffic serving as a source of advertising revenue. The study found that men who have committed sexual offences against children are more likely to own and use cryptocurrency and purchase sexual content online.
The study also revealed that many men who commit sexual offences against children are perceived to be trustworthy, as they often have a high level of education, live in households with children, or work in professions that involve interaction with children. The researchers warned that the current protections against child sexual exploitation and abuse have not kept pace with emerging risks, necessitating emergency measures to address the global public health emergency. The study recommended the implementation of stricter verification steps on dating apps, including mandatory ID checks, tools to detect grooming language, and methods to flag suspicious messaging patterns. Researchers emphasized the importance of addressing the financial and technological ecosystems that support abuse and called for a proactive approach to prevent child sexual exploitation and abuse.
