Internet sexual activity: A comparison between contact and non-contact child pornography offenders

Abstract By exploring the internet sexual activity of two groups of adult male child pornography offenders (n = 110), this study sought to identify potential risk factors associated with those offenders who also sexually abused minors. In this endeavour, six areas of internet sexual activity were explored: (1) the level of involvement with child pornography; (2) the level of involvement with non-pornographic material depicting minors; (3) the online seduction of minors; (4) the level of communication with individuals who also have a sexual interest in minors; (5) the level of involvement with adult pornography; and (6) the level of involvement in internet chatrooms related to adults. Results indicated that child pornography offenders are a heterogeneous group. Additionally, dispositional factors related to substance abuse, antisocial orientation and deviant sexual interest and situational factors related to internet sexual activity discriminated child pornography offenders who sexually abused minors from those who did not. Keywords: Child pornographyinternet sex crimesinternet sex offenderindecent images of childrenonline predatorschild sexual exploitation