Our research drives child safety solutions
At Thorn, we conduct novel research to:
Inform the programs we build to
empower kids & communities.
Monitor emerging trends
& technologies.
Equip everyone who has a
stake in protecting children.
Featured Reports
March, 2025
Deepfake Nudes & Young People: Navigating a New Frontier in Technology-facilitated Nonconsensual Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
Drawing on a survey of 1,200 young people aged 13-20, this research explores their awareness of deepfake nudes, lived experiences with them, and their involvement in creating such content.
June, 2024
Trends in Financial Sextortion: An investigation of sextortion reports in NCMEC CyberTipline data
In partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), this research examines more than 15 million reports made to the CyberTipline from 2020 to 2023 to pinpoint cases of sextortion and examine the evolving scale and nature of financially motivated sextortion. Importantly, while sextortion can affect all ages, this report focuses explicitly on the sextortion of minors.
Youth-centered research
Our research, collected in the field, provides insights into how youth are experiencing issues like sending nudes and sexting, as well as what motivates their online behaviors. We share our findings with the child safety ecosystem to inform prevention and interventions, and develop resources for parents.
Research topics
Dive into the data and see the latest insights on key topics impacting the child safety ecosystem today. We regularly update these pages with new findings and add additional topics as we conduct more novel research.
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