After nearly disappearing in the 90s, the spread of child sexual abuse material exploded with the rise of the internet, while child sex trafficking increased with exposure to a greater market online. Today, the problem is complex and still growing.
Technology has made it easier to harm kids.
The scale of the problem.
2004
450,000 files*
2015
25 million files*
*The number of child sexual abuse files reviewed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
63% of victimized kids
Thorn encountered had been advertised online
As many as 1 in 6 runaways
reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children likely became victims of sex trafficking.
Survivors, issue experts, the tech community, and law enforcement join Thorn co-founders Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore to discuss the issue in-depth.
child pornography
The internet has made it too easy for abusers to share child sexual abuse material. They create images and videos with an audience in mind. That content gets shared widely beyond the initial targets – recirculating the image, perpetuating the abuse and retraumatizing the child.
child sex trafficking
Child sex trafficking affects our most vulnerable children. In the US, children in the foster care system are disproportionately at greater risk for exploitation. And in the poorest countries on earth, children in desperate need of basic necessities, like food and shelter, are often especially vulnerable to traffickers.
what the research tells us
To understand the issue and inform what we’ll build next, we research emerging technologies, listen to personal accounts, and incorporate resources from all over the world.