Adolescents in the Dunkelfeld: A Study of Help Seeking Minors Who Use Child Sexual Abuse Materials

This study examines the characteristics of help-seeking minors (n = 117) who have consumed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and who voluntarily sought support. 97% of the respondents were in Dunkelfeld at the time of data collection. About half of the respondents reported a pedohebephile sexual preference. The study found two distinct groups based on cluster analysis, primarily distinguished by their mental well-being. The results indicate that 60.7% of the participants had used CSAM in the last two weeks, with the most common content being medium severity on the COPINE scale (levels 6-9). The study suggests that minors are already aware of the problem and motivated to confront their problematic behavior. However, limitations such as potential bias due to self-reporting, self-selection and lack of control mechanisms must be considered. The findings underscore the necessity for the implementation of targeted prevention and intervention measures for affected groups, as well as for further research to validate and expand upon these findings.