“It didn’t matter that those images ‘weren’t me’, or that the fetish sites were ‘technically’ legal.
“It was a painful, violating experience; a living nightmare I hoped no other child would have to go through.”
Mara – who also appeared in 1993’s Mrs Doubtfire and 1994’s Miracle on 34th Street – clarified that she “always felt safe” on film sets.
She added: “From ages 5 to 13, I was a child actor.
“And while as of late we’ve heard many horror stories about the abusive things that happened to child actors behind the scenes, I always felt safe while filming.”
She pointed out the terrifying reality that other children’s images could be used to create CSAM, even if they aren’t a celebrity.
She said: “It is now infinitely easier for any child whose face has been posted on the internet to be sexually exploited. Millions of children could be forced to live my same nightmare.”
She called on tech companies and social media platforms to “be held accountable”, and urged people to demand “legislation and technological safeguards”.
She continued: “We also need to examine our own actions: nobody wants to think that if they share photos of their child, those images could end up in CSAM.
“But it is a risk, one that parents need to protect their young children from, and warn their older children about.”