How would you react if a man you know was charged with downloading indecent images of children? Would you automatically assume he was a paedophile who might try to groom a child near you? That is most people’s fear and a common reaction. But a new book, Autism and Online Sexual Offending against Children by The Reward Foundation sheds new light on this rapidly increasing area of offending. It’s not what you think. Your assumptions are probably wrong. One of the least known side effects of problematic pornography use or porn addiction is the risk of escalating to illegal images of children. Autistic men men seem particularly vulnerable to porn addiction. Why do they feature disproportionately in the rates of offending? What makes autistic adults and children more vulnerable to such offending as both perpetrators and victims?
The challenge: The latest crime figures indicate that around 1,000 people, mostly men, are arrested each month in England and Wales for downloading indecent images or grooming children online. There has been a staggering 25-fold rise in such crimes since 2010. But take a closer look beneath the shrill headlines screaming for harsher jail sentences. The range includes everything from sexting by kids, to viewing images of children in adult websites or social media, to discussions and exchange of images in chatrooms, to online grooming with intention to rape a child in person. The vast majority of arrests are for viewing indecent images of children, not grooming or contact offences. Teenagers are responsible for committing more than half those online offences too.
So should we imprison offenders and throw away the key as some suggest? Or should we dig deeply into the causes and try to prevent such offending? How do we protect kids, especially autistic ones, from becoming disproportionately active in porn-related harm or becoming victims of it?
Further, research suggests around 2% of the population are autistic. Yet a shocking 25% of the men seeking help for accessing CSEM appear to be autistic. Most have Asperger-type autism and are nine times more likely to die by suicide than non-autistic men.
- Is there something about autism that makes such people more vulnerable to problematic pornography use?
- Can problematic pornography use lead to the viewing of illegal images of children?
- To what extent does looking at sexual images of children lead to a desire to groom and have sex with a child in person?
The book examines the research on problematic pornography use, autism and explores key legal issues. Moreover, what is the actual risk that a man watching child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) will move to contact offending? It’s not what you think. Read the book to find out.
Their stories: The book reveals what happened to three ordinary, married men with good jobs and no previous convictions. Their names are Jack, PJ and Henry. We chart their experience of undiagnosed autism as children, developing a porn addiction as teenagers, escalating to viewing indecent images of children, arrest, then facing the full force of the law. Each one was suicidal. They depict a perfect storm of autism, porn addiction and online offending that combines to ruin lives, destroy families and harm society.
Who should read this? This book is a ‘must’ for porn users, people who know or suspect they are autistic, their partners, criminal justice and healthcare professionals, social workers and children’s services, teachers, school leaders, politicians and media professionals.
Health impact: What’s the difference between real and virtual autism? How widespread is pornography use today? What are its effects? Do you know how relentless the porn industry’s drive is for profits? Why is the adolescent brain more vulnerable to problematic pornography use than an adult’s? Which sites are the riskiest for autistic users?
Social impact: The ‘knock’. Learn about life during and after court for autistic people and their families. Will they ever work again? Should a partner leave or stay?
Legal issues: Should the legal system look afresh at assumptions about the “deviant mindset” regarding autistic offenders? Should post-conviction treatment include help for internet addiction? Should autistic men be diverted away from the criminal justice system?
Education: Might schools promote education about porn risks for autistic children? Should journalists become more nuanced in their reporting of online sexual offending by autistic people? How can families learn about porn’s effects and protect themselves from online sexual offending? Find answers and resources in this book.
