Culture Reframed, a non-profit working to address the harms of pornography founded by Dr. Gail Dines, has released a new report: Sex Dolls, Sex Robots, and the Use of Artificial Intelligence to Undress and Abuse Children, authored by Dr. Eric Silverman.

The report outlines the current state of development of sex dolls, sex robots and AI, and how these technologies are being used to harm and exploit children. We were pleased to see our own Campaigns Manager Caitlin Roper cited throughout.

Just two weeks after we announced a victory against Temu after they pulled child sex abuse dolls from sale, we’ve discovered child sex abuse dolls, disembodied replica child heads and legs sold by online retailer Shein.

We've previously called out Shein for objectifying women and sexualising girls in their advertising and through flogging sexualised toys and see-through gstrings for toddler girls and fetishising schoolgirls with 'sexy schoolgirl' costumes. Given their track record, maybe we shouldn't be surprised that now the company is selling replica little girls and body parts for men's sexual use?

We approached the company’s Global Head of Strategic Communications, Peter Pernot-Day, with our concerns, but were ignored.

Child sex abuse dolls normalise and encourage men’s sexual use and abuse of children. These products are illegal and constitute child sexual abuse material.

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Chinese online marketplace Temu is selling child sex abuse dolls, torsos and disembodied doll heads marketed for men’s sexual use.

The company, which has faced allegations of forced labour and child slavery, offers heavily discounted products which are typically shipped to customers directly from China. China is one of the biggest producers of child sex abuse dolls in the world.

We’ve discovered a number of child sex abuse dolls on the platform – full bodies, torsos, disembodied legs and heads.

OnlyFans, a subscriber-only social media platform that allows people to sell pornographic content of themselves, is portrayed as a great way for young women to make money, and a better, safer option than traditional prostitution. Some of the dominant media narratives in support of OnlyFans frame it as an ethical alternative to mainstream porn sites, as the means for sellers to have more control over the content they produce, and even as a confidence-building endeavour for women (see our report Side Hustles and Sexual Exploitation). 

We’ve previously exposed how OnlyFans puts women and risk and leaves them vulnerable to exploitation. An increasing number of young female content creators report degrading and violent requests, abusive and predatory treatment, as well as doxxing, image-based abuse and stalking. We also published an account from former OnlyFans recruiter Victoria revealing how women were exploited and degraded on the platform. 

But it’s even worse. A growing number of reports expose OnlyFans hosting – and profiting from – illegal and abusive content, including videos of children, rape and non-consensually produced or shared material.

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) refers to images and videos where children are sexually abused and exploited. It is the photographic or video record of the rape, sexual abuse and torture of children and infants.

"Men’s sexual entitlement to the bodies of children must be challenged, not accommodated."

In December last year, were invited to join other child protection representatives in a roundtable consultation at RMIT in November with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children, Ms. Mama Fatima Singhateh, as part of her country visit to Australia to learn more on the risks facing Australian children and young people.

Movement Director Melinda Tankard Reist gave evidence, speaking on the negative influence of pornography, how it operated as a grooming tool, and was contributing to a rise in harmful sexual behaviours in young people. Campaigns Manager Caitlin Roper, who wrote a book on sex dolls, prepared a submission on the trade in child sex abuse dolls. You can read it below. 

A video posted to Twitter featuring comments from a US senator defending child sex abuse dolls has gone viral.

In the video, Kentucky state senator Karen Berg claimed that there was “conclusive” research finding access to child sex abuse dolls could prevent paedophiles sexually abusing children.

This is false. I’ve been researching sex dolls and child sex abuse dolls for years, and I’ve written a book on the topic. “Conclusive” evidence that child sex abuse dolls reduce or prevent sexual abuse does not exist. (And I reject that claim completely.) 🧵

vid - @way2muchJRMC pic.twitter.com/WjIWvoJGis

— Caitlin Roper (@caitlin_roper) March 2, 2024

The video attracted significant negative attention, with the senator issuing a statement in response – and ultimately, voting in support of a motion to outlaw child sex abuse dolls.

So what does the research say about child sex abuse dolls? (Content warning - may be distressing for some readers.)

Adolescents are now the most common perpetrators of child sexual abuse, according to new Australian research published in the International Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect.