Polling Pedophilic Preferences: Analyzing Responses to User-Generated Member Polls on a Darknet Child Sexual Abuse Forum
Deviant Behavior, vol. 47, pp. 613–634
Abstract
This study examines a “boy-lover” darknet forum, home to nearly 100,000 members with sexual interests in children, analyzing user-generated polls to understand the psychosexual dynamics of this hidden community. Being neither scientifically structured nor motivated, these polls provide a rare, non-reactive insight into sexual preferences, behaviors, and social interactions in an ecosystem shielded from societal scrutiny. Exploring age preferences, consumption of child sexual abuse material, and child sex cues, we elucidate how these behaviors are communicated, reinforced, and normalized. The findings contextualize these behaviors within existing research and underscore the critical role of digital ecosystems in perpetuating sexual exploitation.
Authors 9
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Robert Lehmann corresponding
Affiliation as printed
MSB Medical School Berlin
MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Leiden University · Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement
Affiliation as printed
Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology, Leiden University
Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR)
Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Affiliation as printed
Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University
Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
MSB Medical School Berlin
MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Ministry of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior, Helsinki, Finland
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Affiliation as printed
La Trobe University
La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
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Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Affiliation as printed
Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University
Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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Polish Platform for Homeland Security
Affiliation as printed
Polish Platform for Homeland Security
Polish Platform for Homeland Security, Poznan, Poland
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Affiliation as printed
MSB Medical School Berlin
MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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