AI-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse: A Scoping Review Protocol

Objective: To map the extent, nature, and definitions of the literature on AI-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) perpetration, including (i) threats associated with AI and emerging technologies used to facilitate CSEA, (ii) how these threats are defined and operationalised, and (iii) interventions, policies, safeguarding practices, and regulatory responses relevant to the UK context.Introduction: AI systems are increasingly embedded in children and young people’s digital lives, and capabilities such as high-fidelity content generation and scalable automated interaction may enable new or intensified forms of CSEA. However, the evidence base is conceptually and terminologically inconsistent, with overlapping terms and variable operational definitions that limit comparability and surveillance.Inclusion criteria: This review will consider literature relating to AI-facilitated CSEA perpetration. Sources addressing definitions, typologies, and UK-relevant responses will be included. Context will include online, hybrid, and technology-mediated environments, with specific extraction of UK-relevant interventions and regulatory and safeguarding responses.Methods: The key information sources to be searched include Scopus, PsycINFO, CINAHL, IEEE Xplore, and Web of Science, supplemented by systematic grey literature searches of UK government and international NGO databases for English-language records from 2010 to the present. Following independent dual screening of titles and abstracts, data will be extracted using a standardised charting form.