Police: Police have warned that individuals who access or possess online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) may escalate to more serious offences, including grooming, sextortion and sexual crimes against children. Bukit Aman Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11) principal assistant director SAC Siti Kamsiah Hassan said the trend had been identified through investigations conducted by the division and the Malaysia Internet Crimes Against Children (MICAC) Centre into CSAM-related cases.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Siti Kamsiah Hassan highlighted that repeated exposure to CSAM could lead to behavioural addiction, a condition in which individuals are compelled to seek more content and spend longer periods accessing such material. She explained that, like other forms of addiction, individuals who are continuously exposed to CSAM may require increasingly extreme content to achieve the same level of satisfaction.
Siti Kamsiah further elaborated that investigations had found online communities sharing the material typically operated within closed groups, whose members often did not know one another personally. These individuals are connected by a shared interest in such content, and over time, these groups form extensive networks as each group develops its own connections and exchanges material with others.
She also pointed out that demand for such content fuels exploitation, with some individuals selling the material to others for financial gain. Those involved in the possession, storage, or distribution of CSAM come from various occupational backgrounds, age groups, and social strata.
Previously, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching reported that CSAM cases recorded by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) increased from 68 in 2024 to 152 last year, with 100 cases recorded so far this year. She noted that these figures might represent only a fraction of the actual situation, as greater internet connectivity and the growing availability of content-generation tools have made such material easier to produce and disseminate.
To combat the threat, Siti Kamsiah stated that the PDRM continues to intensify enforcement operations to detect individuals involved in CSAM-related offences, while also carrying out victim identification processes involving images or videos seized to enable swift rescue operations. Additionally, the introduction of the Online Safety Act 2025 (ONSA) is viewed as a crucial step in strengthening the country’s ability to tackle online sexual crimes, including those involving CSAM.
She added that previously, cooperation between digital platforms and authorities largely depended on a voluntary basis, resulting in longer delays in obtaining information and removing criminal sexual content, including CSAM. The ONSA places clearer responsibilities on digital platforms to comply with Malaysian laws, facilitating the process of obtaining account-holder information, tracking suspects, identifying victims, and swiftly removing harmful content.