This paper discusses research methodology and outcomes, about whether warning messages will discourage men from visiting a fake website offering access to free pornographic images, to users who uploaded a sexual image of a woman.
Illegal distribution of sexual images by adults and minors is an expanding problem. In this article, the authors describe their examination of whether messages would dissuade men (18-32 years) from visiting a fake website offering access to free pornography to users who uploaded a sexual image of a woman. Participants seeking to enter the site were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. Group one went straight to the landing page. Group two encountered a text warning that sharing sexual images of people who appear under 18 years old is illegal; Group three received the same message with an accompanying animation. Sixty percent of Group one participants attempted to access the site, compared with 43 percent in Group two and 38 percent in Group three. The authors argue that online messages offer a valuable strategy that can help reduce image-based abuse and the distribution of child sexual abuse material, including by minors. Publisher Abstract Provided