Chatbot launched to prevent searches for child abuse on PornHub
Flanders’ organisation for the prevention of child sexual abuse has launched an AI chatbot on PornHub to stop searches for illegal images of children and help people who want to change their behaviour.
The organisation Stop It Now! wants to use AI to discourage people from searching for images related to child sexual abuse on the website. Users in Flanders already saw a warning message, but now they will also see the chatbot.
“We want to guide people who want to change their disturbing behaviour towards help,” spokesperson Larissa Van Puyvelde says.
"The statistics show that we have already reached hundreds of people in that first week"
The group worked with Aylo, the organisation behind PornHub, and the Lucy Faithfull Foundation in the UK, which created the tool in 2022, to make the tool available in Dutch.
The foundation evaluated the chatbot’s impact in the UK after 18 months. It found that the number of searches for sexual videos of children fell, and one warning from the chatbot was enough to deter users in 82 per cent of sessions from continuing their searches for illegal videos The number of calls to helplines also increased.
Coaching programme
With the Flemish version of the chatbot, people are referred to professional help and the Stop It Now! helpline. The service was activated last week on PornHub for users in Flanders.
“The statistics show that we have already reached hundreds of people in that first week,” said Van Puyvelde. “Whether we were able to refer them to the helpline is not yet clear.”
Stop It Now! Flanders was set up to prevent child sexual abuse and provide support to people who have concerns about sexual feelings and behaviour towards minors. It also offers an anonymous online coaching programme and a self-help module.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO THE CANADIAN PRESS
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