Executive summary This Study on the effects of new information technologies on the abuse and exploitation of children was prepared pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolution 2011/33 on Prevention, protection and international cooperation against the use of new information technologies to abuse and/or exploit children, in which the Council expressed concern that increasingly rapid technological advances have created new possibilities for the criminal misuse of new information and communication technologies. The study is based primarily on open source research and the outcomes of an informal expert group meeting on ICTfacilitated abuse and exploitation of children, held in Vienna from 23 to 25 September 2013. In accordance with Council resolution 2011/33, relevant information from the 2013 Comprehensive Study on Cybercrime prepared for the consideration of the open-ended intergovernmental expert group on cybercrime is also taken into account. The study is divided into four chapters and contains a glossary as an annex. Introduction Fast-paced technological innovation and widespread and increasing accessibility of ICTs, including high-speed Internet and mobile devices with Internet connectivity, have transformed societies around the world. Children in particular have increased access to ICTs and, in recent decades, have tended to adopt these technologies from an early age, resulting in ICTs becoming thoroughly embedded in their lives. This context facilitates opportunities for the misuse of ICTs to abuse and exploit children. Children can easily engage with strangers and exchange large data files, while the possibilities for parental supervision and monitoring are restricted. Children are also at particular risk as they often do not fully understand threats associated with the use of ICTs, or are not sufficiently aware that, once shared, control over such material is effectively waived. Advances in ICTs can also facilitate criminal collaboration and communication, while law enforcement agencies may frequently lack the human and financial resources, technical capacity and appropriate legal tools to investigate digital crime. Cultural variations and differences in legal systems can also further complicate effective prevention and investigations. Efforts to effectively and comprehensively combat ICTfacilitated child abuse and exploitation necessitate a multistakeholder approach, including and actively involving children, families, communities, governments, members of civil society and the private sector. I. Identifying and describing the problem Differences in the definition of “child” under national legal systems may lead to varying responses to child abuse and exploitation. While the term “abuse” focuses more on the treatment of the child victim, “exploitation” refers more to the benefit of the offender. “Contact” and “non-contact” sexual abuse are distinguished from one another in terms of physical conduct involving children. Contact sexual abuse generically refers to in-person sexual contact of a harmful nature, while non-­ contact sexual abuse denotes acts where the perpetrator does not come into physical contact with a child, such as in the case of possession, distribution or consumption of child ­sexual abuse material. “Commercial sexual exploitation of children” refers to the exploitation by an adult of a child, accompanied by payment in money or in kind to the child or to one or more third parties. It encompasses an array of commercial offences, including the prostitution of children, arrangement of child marriage, and child sex tourism. Non-commercial exploitation pertains to exploitative acts committed for personal grati­ fication rather than for financial or economic gain. Personal gratification may nevertheless coincide with ­obtaining economic benefit, such as when a trafficker abuses children he or she intends to exploit. The main forms of ICT-facilitated child abuse and exploitation can be identified by observing practices. The forms discussed in this study are: child sexual abuse material (child pornography); commercial sexual exploitation of children; cyberenticement, solicitation and grooming; cyberbullying, cyberharassment and cyberstalking; and exposure to harmful content. “Child sexual abuse material” comes in many forms and consists of a recording, usually in still or video, which depicts a child engaged in sexually explicit activity. The terms “cyberenticement”, “solicitation” and “online grooming” are regularly used collectively or interchangeably to ix