A content analysis of metrics on online child sexual exploitation and abuse used by online content-sharing services

Background: A critical step in improving the response to and monitoring of online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) is the need to standardize the data that are collected, stored, and analyzed that effectively measure change in the frequency, nature and risk of OCSEA over time. Objective: The objective of the content analysis was to investigate the metrics used by online content-sharing platforms in their efforts to combat OCSEA. Methods: A content analysis was undertaken on 19 online content-sharing services' transparency reports on their metrics related to OCSEA. Results: From the 19 transparency reports, 132 data points in relation to OCSEA were identified with 22 distinct metrics on OCSEA. Findings revealed a disparity of appropriate metrics and reporting mechanisms employed, particularly, there is a lack of standardized approaches to metrics reporting and an absence of time related measures. Furthermore, very few online content-sharing services disclosed metadata on the data reported and its capture methodology. Conclusion: This study highlights the critical need for standardized metrics reporting to enable comparability across services. Without such an evidence base, there are no objective measures to assess the progress and effectiveness in addressing OCSEA.