Victims of Technology-Assisted Child Sexual Abuse: A Scoping Review
Open accessAbstract
Over the past two decades, technology-assisted child sexual abuse (TA-CSA) has become the focus of attention in politics, legislation, society, as well as research. However, the majority of literature and studies focus primarily on the offenders. This scoping review therefore aims to illustrate how victims of TA-CSA are represented in studies as primary participants. The databases Embase, PsychInfo, PSYNDEX, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science as well as reference lists were searched. Studies needed to be published between 2007 and 2021 and obtain data directly from and about victims to be included in this review. A total of 570 articles were identified from which 20 studies met inclusion criteria. The analysis showed that data can be obtained via different samples like adult and minor victims or other data such as legal documents or sexualized images. The studies researched different types of TA-CSA including exposure to pornographic material, online grooming leading to both online and offline sexual abuse, sexting and sexualized images, and the visual depiction of sexually explicit content. Consequences due to the abuse were of an emotional and psychological nature, medical or physical or impacted relationships, and the social environment. Even though the impact of the abuse on the victims appeared to be similar between different types of TA-CSA, much remains unknown. In order to gain further and more detailed insight into victims of TA-CSA, a universally accepted definition of TA-CSA as well as its different types and their distinctions needs to be established.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Established psychological harms linked to CSAM dissemination are almost certain to persist when existing abusive material is multiplied, altered, or rendered more violent through AI tools.
“However, established psychological harms linked to the dissemination of CSAM-including symptoms of post-traumatic stress, shame, anxiety, and self-blame-are almost certain to persist when existing abusive material is multiplied, altered, or rendered more violent through the use of AI tools (Chauviré-Geib and Fegert 2024).”
From AI-generated child sexual abuse material: what’s the harm? (2026) · cites this paper as Chauviré-Geib and Fegert 2024
The Introduction and ‘Consequences and Impact of the Abuse’ describe ongoing victimization when abusive material remains online, and report post-traumatic stress, shame, anxiety, and self-blame among victims. The review does not address AI multiplication or alteration of existing material, or establish that these harms are ‘almost certain’ to persist in those circumstances. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: the PRISMA statement
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & for the PRISMA Group (2009) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.b2535 · Cited by 83,823 · see citing works
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & The PRISMA Group (2009) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097 · Cited by 64,042 · see citing works
Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework
Arksey, H., & O'Malley, L. (2005) · International Journal of Social Research Methodology · doi:10.1080/1364557032000119616 · Cited by 36,742 · see citing works
Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019) · Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health · doi:10.1080/2159676x.2019.1628806 · Cited by 19,677 · see citing works
Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00017-8 · Cited by 18,943 · see citing works
Wang, G., Ma, R., Qiao, G., Wada, K., Aizawa, Y., & Satoh, T. (2015) · Integrative Medicine International · doi:10.1159/000368408 · Cited by 18,759 · see citing works
Scoping studies: advancing the methodology
Levac, D., Colquhoun, H., & O'Brien, K. K. (2010) · Implementation Science · doi:10.1186/1748-5908-5-69 · Cited by 15,268 · see citing works
A scoping review of scoping reviews: advancing the approach and enhancing the consistency
Pham, M. T., Rajić, A., Greig, J. D., Sargeant, J. M., Papadopoulos, A., & McEwen, S. A. (2014) · Research Synthesis Methods · doi:10.1002/jrsm.1123 · Cited by 3,078 · see citing works
Validity of adult retrospective reports of adverse childhood experiences: review of the evidence
Hardt, J., & Rutter, M. (2004) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00218.x · Cited by 2,827 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Moreover, the main criticism of retrospective surveys lies with retrospective accounts being prone to recall bias (Hardt & Rutter, 2004) as participants may not remember situations accurately especially if the experience had been emotionally straining.”
BackgroundA scoping review on the conduct and reporting of scoping reviews
Tricco, A. C., Lillie, E., Zarin, W., O’Brien, K., Colquhoun, H., Kastner, M., Levac, D., Ng, C., Sharpe, J. P., Wilson, K., et al. (2016) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/s12874-016-0116-4 · Cited by 2,250 · see citing works
Teicher, M. H., & Samson, J. A. (2013) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.12070957 · Cited by 1,050 · see citing works
Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D. F., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V. J., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (2019) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2019.04.001 · Cited by 835 · see citing works
Sexuality and the Internet: Surfing into the New Millennium
COOPER, A. (1998) · CyberPsychology & Behavior · doi:10.1089/cpb.1998.1.187 · Cited by 736 · see citing works
Fergusson, D. M., McLeod, G. F. H., & Horwood, L. J. (2013) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.03.013 · Cited by 703 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Long-term consequences up into adulthood (Fergusson et al., 2013) can include anxiety and nervousness, posttraumatic stress disorder, avoidance strategies (Goldbeck, 2015), as well as physical health issues such as obesity and diabetes (Clemens et al., 2018).”
BackgroundThe development of autobiographical memory.
Fivush, R. (2011) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.121208.131702 · Cited by 677 · see citing works
Prevalence of Multiple Forms of Sexting Behavior Among Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Madigan, S., Ly, A., Rash, C. L., Van Ouytsel, J., & Temple, J. R. (2018) · JAMA Pediatrics · doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.5314 · Cited by 519 · see citing works
Prevalence and Characteristics of Youth Sexting: A National Study
Mitchell, K. J., David Finkelhor, B., Jones, L. M., & Wolak, J. (2011) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.2011-1730 · Cited by 512 · see citing works
Sexual grooming of children: Review of literature and theoretical considerations
Craven, S., Brown, S., & Gilchrist, E. (2006) · Journal of Sexual Aggression · doi:10.1080/13552600601069414 · Cited by 455 · see citing works
Dumont, K. A., Widom, C. S., & Czaja, S. J. (2007) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.11.015 · Cited by 436 · see citing works
The Nature and Dynamics of Internet Pornography Exposure for Youth
Sabina, C., Wolak, J., & Finkelhor, D. (2008) · CyberPsychology & Behavior · doi:10.1089/cpb.2007.0179 · Cited by 329 · see citing works
Resilience in Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Domhardt, M., Münzer, A., Fegert, J. M., & Goldbeck, L. (2015) · Trauma, Violence, & Abuse · doi:10.1177/1524838014557288 · Cited by 275 · see citing works
Self-citationSextortion of Minors: Characteristics and Dynamics
Wolak, J., Finkelhor, D., Walsh, W., & Treitman, L. (2018) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.08.014 · Cited by 249 · see citing works
Shame and Guilt in Men Exposed to Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Qualitative Investigation
Dorahy, M. J., & Clearwater, K. (2012) · Journal of Child Sexual Abuse · doi:10.1080/10538712.2012.659803 · Cited by 181 · see citing works
Child Pornography Possessors: Trends in Offender and Case Characteristics
Wolak, J., David Finkelhor, B., & Mitchell, K. J. (2011) · Sexual Abuse · doi:10.1177/1079063210372143 · Cited by 155 · see citing works
The Prevalence and Consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences in the German Population
Witt, A., Sachser, C., Plener, P. L., Brähler, E., & Fegert, J. M. (2019) · Deutsches Ärzteblatt international · doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0635 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Self-citationClemens, V., Huber-Lang, M. S., Plener, P. L., Brähler, E., Brown, R. C., & Fegert, J. M. (2018) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.1080/20008198.2018.1510278 · Cited by 130 · see citing works
Self-citationOnline Requests for Sexual Pictures from Youth: Risk Factors and Incident Characteristics
Mitchell, K. J., David Finkelhor, B., & Wolak, J. (2007) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.03.013 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
The complex experience of child pornography survivors
Gewirtz-Meydan, A., Walsh, W., Wolak, J., & Finkelhor, D. (2018) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.03.031 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Victims’ Voices: The Impact of Online Grooming and Sexual Abuse
C. Whittle, H., Hamilton-Giachritsis, C., & R. Beech, A. (2013) · Universal Journal of Psychology · doi:10.13189/ujp.2013.010206 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Online sexual abuse of adolescents by a perpetrator met online: a cross-sectional study
Jonsson, L. S., Fredlund, C., Priebe, G., Wadsby, M., & Svedin, C. G. (2019) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health · doi:10.1186/s13034-019-0292-1 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Joleby, M., Landström, S., Lunde, C., & Jonsson, L. S. (2021) · Psychology, Crime & Law · doi:10.1080/1068316x.2020.1781120 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Undetected and detected child sexual abuse and child pornography offenders
Neutze, J., Grundmann, D., Scherner, G., & Beier, K. M. (2012) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2012.02.004 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Internet-related child sexual abuse: What children tell us in their testimonies
Katz, C. (2013) · Children and Youth Services Review · doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.06.006 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Sexualized Images of Children on the Internet
Quayle, E., & Jones, T. (2011) · Sexual Abuse · doi:10.1177/1079063210392596 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Joleby, M., Lunde, C., Landström, S., & Jonsson, L. S. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.606218 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Rahm, G., Renck, B., & Ringsberg, K. C. (2006) · Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2850.2006.00927.x · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Understanding Online Child Sexual Exploitation Offenses
Ly, T., Murphy, L., & Fedoroff, J. P. (2016) · Current Psychiatry Reports · doi:10.1007/s11920-016-0707-0 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Quayle, E., Jonsson, L. S., Cooper, K., et al. (2018) · Child Abuse Review · doi:10.1002/car.2507 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Interviewing children: The science of conversation in forensic contexts.
Poole, D. A. (2016) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/14941-000 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Psychopathology among adult survivors of child pornography
Gewirtz‐Meydan, A., Lahav, Y., Walsh, W. A., & David Finkelhor, B. (2019) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104189 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Understanding and preventing online sexual exploitation of children
(2012) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.50-2147 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Ethical Issues in Surveys about Children's Exposure to Violence and Sexual Abuse
David Finkelhor, B., Hamby, S. L., Turner, H. A., & Walsh, W. A. (2016) · doi:10.1002/9781118303092.ch2 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Ortega, E. G., & Baz, B. O. (2013) · Anales de Psicología · doi:10.6018/analesps.29.2.131381 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
A Comparative Content Analysis of Pre-Internet and Contemporary Child Sexual Abuse Material
Salter, M., & Whitten, T. (2021) · Deviant Behavior · doi:10.1080/01639625.2021.1967707 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Adebahr, R., Zamore-Söderström, E., Arver, S., Jokinen, J., & Öberg, K. G. (2021) · The Journal of Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.06.008 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Live streaming of child sexual abuse: an analysis of offender chat logs
Napier, S., & Teunissen, C. (2021) · Australian Institute of Criminology eBooks · doi:10.52922/ti78375 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Franke, I., & Graf, M. (2016) · Forensische Psychiatrie Psychologie Kriminologie · doi:10.1007/s11757-016-0361-8 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Kindesmisshandlung und deren Langzeitfolgen – Analyse einer repräsentativen deutschen Stichprobe
Witt, A., Brown, R. C., Plener, P. L., Brähler, E., Fegert, J. M., & Clemens, V. (2019) · Zeitschrift für Psychiatrie Psychologie und Psychotherapie · doi:10.1024/1661-4747/a000378 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Self-citationHall, K. E., Stafford, J., & Cho, B. (2023) · Journal of Interpersonal Violence · doi:10.1177/08862605231159630 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Contrasting mental health correlates of physical and sexual abuse-related shame.
Ellenbogen, S., Colin-Vezina, D., Sinha, V., et al. (2018) · PubMed · doi:10.2989/17280583.2018.1485569 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Auffälligkeiten und Hinweiszeichen bei sexuellem Kindesmissbrauch
Goldbeck, L. (2014) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-44244-9_14 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Quayle, E. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-66654-5_4 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Behind the Curtains of e-State: Determinants of Online Sexual Harassment Among Estonian Children
Soo, K., Ainsaar, M., & Калмус, В. (2025) · Studies of transition states and societies · doi:10.58036/stss.v4i2.95 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
The Subtle Violations—Abuse and the Projection of Shame
Frazier, R. T. (2000) · Pastoral Psychology · doi:10.1023/a:1022051228881 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Lessons Learned: Conducting Research With Victims Portrayed in Sexual Abuse Images and Their Parents
Walsh, W. A., Wolak, J., Lounsbury, K., Howley, S., Lippert, T., & Thompson, L. (2016) · Journal of Interpersonal Violence · doi:10.1177/0886260516640545 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
de Tribolet‐Hardy, F., Hill, A., & Habermeyer, E. (2020) · Forensische Psychiatrie Psychologie Kriminologie · doi:10.1007/s11757-020-00613-0 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Sexuelle Übergriffe an Kindern und Jugendlichen in der Schweiz : Formen, Verbreitung, Tatumstände
Schmid, C., Eisner, M., & Averdijk, M. (2012) · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Canadian Centre for Child Protection (Ed.). (2017). Survivors' Survey: Executive Summary 2017. https://protectchildren.ca/pdfs/C3P_SurvivorsSurveyExecutiveSummary2017_en.pdf
- Hamilton-Giachritsis C. Sleath E. (2018). Effects of interpersonal crime on victims. In Davies G. M. Beech A. R. (Eds.), BPS textbooks in psychology. Forensic psychology: Crime, justice, law, interventions. Wiley.
- International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. (2018). Child Sexual Abuse Material: Model Legislation & Global Review. https://cdn.icmec.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/CSAM-Model-Law-9th-Ed-FINAL-12-3-18-1.pdf
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Page, S., McFeeters, A., Rani, N. H. M., Slater, C., Stevenson, J., Quayle, E., & Fry, D. (2025) · Child Abuse Review · doi:10.1002/car.70048 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
AI-generated child sexual abuse material: what’s the harm?
Ó Ciardha, C., Buckley, J., & Portnoff, R. S. (2026) · AI & SOCIETY · doi:10.1007/s00146-026-02932-y · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Ozdag, V., Yuce, S., & Soylu, N. (2025) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105688 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Chauviré-Geib, K., & Fegert, J. M.
- Affiliations
- Universität Ulm (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Chauviré-Geib, Katrin
- Venue
- Trauma, Violence, & Abuse
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2023-06-14
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 1335-1348
- ISSN
- 1524-8380 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-8324
- PMC
- PMC10913305
- OpenAlex
- W4380577199
- Cited by
- 48
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 2
- FWCI
- 2.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Trauma Violence & Abuse (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Keywords
- child sexual abuse victims, online grooming, sexting, psychological effects of abuse
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Child, Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Sexual, Erotica, Humans, Technology, Crime Victims, Criminals
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
