One in six young Dutch men has encountered child sex abuse images
15.6 percent of young Dutch men between the ages of 18 and 25 have encountered child sex abuse images. Nearly 40 percent have watched criminal or violent sexual images, the Telegraaf reports based on an Offlimits survey of 600 young men in this age group.
“These figures are worrying,” Kelly van den Heuvel of Offlimits, an expert agency on online sex abuse, told the newspaper. The young men typically encounter these images unintentionally through pornographic websites, but also through chat groups and click through links. The research showed that some young men continue watching out of curiosity.
According to Van den Heuvel, such images can have a significant impact. Images of sexual abuse or child sex abuse can affect young men’s perception of sexuality and relationships. “There’s a risk that they’ll start to consider it normal if a man is very aggressive towards women during sex, or that sex between adults and children is common.”
According to Offlimits, prevention is essential here. “Young people should not be exposed to criminal and violent images,” Van den Heuvel said. Platforms like porn sites and social media must take their legal responsibility and protect young people from this. “Sometimes, warning messages appear when people search for criminal material, but not everywhere yet. And regulators must actively enforce this.”
She also urged parents to talk to their children, especially boys, who tend to spend more time watching and searching for pornography. “It is important to start a conversation about this,” Van den Heuvel told the newspaper. “Ask your child occasionally about how things are going online. And if they ever watch porn. You can also tell your child that they can always come to you if something happens.”
