when i see someone on reddit or twitter or here on tumblr mention how they accidentally stumbled upon CSEM (Child Sexual Exploitation Material, commonly known as child pornography, but i encourage you to replace that terminology with CSEM!)-- which is not as hard to find as the general public would like to believe-- and freaked out, i understand. but when they say that they panicked and closed the tab etc and tried to forget about it, i'm sitting behind my screen saying no!! no!!!!
if you accidentally come across images of child sexual abuse online, REPORT IT! the child in those images is a real person and they are suffering. your report could save that child's life if they are currently being exploited-- and for those of us who have gone on to become adults, every time you help remove one of our images you are doing us a kindness you can't even imagine.
when i see that someone came across CSEM and didn't report it, i think about myself and all the other survivors out there who live with the knowledge that our material is out there online in a thousand redundancies, and EVERY. SINGLE. instance of that material being removed is a great, massive relief. the thought of someone seeing one of my images/videos and not taking action to remove it is so very disheartening.
if you come across CSEM, please please please report it. the child in those images would thank you. i am thanking you.
