There has been a “significant” increase in cases of child-on-child online sexual abuse, An Garda Síochána has warned the Department of Justice.
It comes as concerns are growing within the Government about the influence that access to pornography is having on children in Ireland.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said he was “deeply concerned” about pornography, and how it is “distorting” children’s perception of sexuality and leading to more violent sexual assaults.
Last October, senior Government officials were briefed about the effect that violent pornography and online harm are having on children. Officials attending a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Justice, Migration and Social Affairs were told An Garda Síochána had noticed an increase in the number of children committing online child sex abuse and exploitation.
The officials were told that the Garda Online Child Exploitation Unit, which monitors websites that feature online child exploitation, identified 73 victims of online child sexual abuse and exploitation in Ireland in 2024, “including a significant increase of child-on-child sexual abuse”.
It was noted that in the UK, more than half of child sexual abuse offences recorded by British authorities in 2022 were committed by other children.
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An Garda Síochána has previously said that sexual offenders have started using artificial intelligence to “produce hyper-realistic deep-fake images and videos often used to manipulate or blackmail children”. The same Cabinet subcommittee was told that violent online pornography is now a “highly accessible” force that is shaping sexual development and behaviour in Ireland.
Mr O’Callaghan said he was “deeply concerned” about violent pornography and the “negative lifelong impact” it can have on the behaviour of children and young people.
“Violent online pornography is now a highly accessible and commercially powerful force shaping sexual development and behaviour in Ireland. Online pornography, particularly in respect of younger people, is distorting their perception of human sexuality. Consequently, we’re seeing greater violence in some sexual assaults that are being reported,” he said.
He said men and boys were being served “repulsive and distorted” ideas about how they should behave in relationships.
“I am conscious and have deep concerns about the dangers and prevalence of violent pornography and the potential impact it has on society, especially on our young people. This invasive, insidious, toxic material often pushes a world view that men are entitled to control women, with violence and sexual violence part of that control. Unfortunately, this content is increasingly accessible, and increasingly normalised.”
Women’s Aid has also raised concerns that violent pornography could influence children to sexually assault and exploit each other. Chief executive of Women’s Aid Sarah Benson said her organisation was “interested” in recent legal changes in the UK, which sought to introduce new “robust” age limits for pornography.
She said Women’s Aid was “really worried that we are going to have a boy do something, and terrible harm will happen, and the perpetrator of that harm will be a child”.