Content Warning: Graphic descriptions of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) file names.

In this episode of 'One in Ten,' host Teresa Huizar interviews Dr. Ted Cross of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign about how child sexual abuse material (CSAM) reflects and perpetuates ongoing abuse. Cross explains why CSAM replaces “child pornography,” emphasizing that its creation requires contact abuse and its dissemination retraumatizes victims for years. To study CSAM without viewing traumatic content or violating privacy, his team partnered with the Child Rescue Coalition and analyzed nearly 3,000 highly descriptive filenames as a proxy for content. Findings included a predominance of videos, victims across all ages (including infants), a large share depicting ages 5–12, and common incest/familial cases (over 40%) that tended to involve more severe abuse. Filenames referencing children of color were more likely to include penetration. Cross urges CACs and MDTs to investigate possible online abuse in contact cases, secure devices, and strengthen partnerships with state ICAC task forces.

Time Stamps

Time Topic

00:00 Episode Introduction

01:26 Meet Dr Ted Cross

02:48 What CSAM Means

04:10 Who Produces CSAM

05:30 Ethical Study Design

06:50 Filenames As Proxy Data

10:08 Victim Demographics

11:50 Incest And Severity

12:52 Penetration And Harm

14:27 Practice Implications

16:19 Trauma And Disclosure

18:25 Policy And Prevention

19:34 Future Research Directions

22:25 Final Takeaways

23:52 Closing And Resources

Resources

Child Rescue Coalition

Characteristics of Child Sexual Abuse Material in Peer-to-Peer Networks and Predictors of its Severity: Insights From Filenames - Theodore P. Cross, Elizabeth M. Cross, Camille Cooper, Daphne Pellegrino, Glen Pounder, Stefan Turkheimer, Simon Bailey, 2025

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