- A major US state, Utah’s prosecutions for online child exploitation surged in 2025, going from 71 in 2024 to 179.
- The new state law mandating age checks on adult websites faces pushback from groups who say it could push users to use unregulated sites overseas, where illegal material is harder to police.
- Lawyers say illegal content is now being shared more on regular social media sites like Google, Facebook, and Instagram, not just on the dark web.
The state of Utah has made a major commitment to stopping online predators as well as stopping the sharing of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
Reports from the Utah Attorney General’s Office unveil a really big increase in court cases, from 71 last year to 179 this year. We’re talking about crimes like adults targeting kids in chat rooms or consuming child-abusive content.
This increase comes after the state passed a law to keep kids off adult sites. However, it now appears that this law has brought its own set of problems.
Why the Sudden Surge?
This surge isn’t due to a sudden crime wave. Instead, it’s the result of a focused strategy to catch more criminals.
Stewart Young, head of the criminal department in the Attorney General’s Office, attributes the rise to better teamwork with local law enforcement and state prosecutors as a major factor. The state’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force is at the heart of this effort. It now has about 130 agents spread out across Utah.
This network helps investigate tips that come in from national organizations. The tips are then followed up on locally.
“The commander of our ICAC agent group has done a phenomenal job increasing the number of affiliates,” Young explained. These agents don’t just investigate crimes. They also train local police on how to handle these complex cases properly.
Young said most people they prosecute aren’t casual offenders. They’re dealing with individuals caught with thousands of pictures or actively trading them. The office typically files at least 10 counts of possession per case.
A Disturbing Shift in Platforms
Defense attorney Mark Moffat has noticed something troubling. He’s been turning away clients because he’s getting so many cases. But what really surprises him is where people are finding this illegal content.
“A significant number of the people that I have represented have found themselves charged with CSAM because they’re searching for pornography on Google,” Moffat said. This shows how much things have changed recently.
A lot of people believe illegal activity is only found on the dark web. While this is still a significant problem, the majority of the battle today is focused on regular websites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Google. These sites have become the primary means through which illegal material is distributed. The numbers from tip lines are massive.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children got a whopping 8.5 million reports for Facebook alone in 2024. Utah’s task force is swamped too; they’ve got way more tips this year —over 9,500 so far—compared to 6,800 recorded in the whole of 2024.
Utah’s Porn Laws Spark Debates
Some think Utah’s tough rules on adult content might have caused problems. Last year, Utah made adult sites check users’ ages. Big sites, like PornHub, just blocked everyone in Utah.
Mike Stabile from the Free Speech Coalition warned this would happen. “What it’s going to do is shift traffic away from legal, responsible sites to some of the worst sites on the internet,” he predicted.
A study focusing on Louisiana’s similar law found nearly a 50% increase in searches for non-compliant websites. These sites are often based overseas in places like Russia or India. They don’t verify ages and don’t care about Utah law.
Looking for Solutions
Moffat and the Utah Defense Attorneys Association want tech companies to do more. They’re pushing for legislation that requires platforms to better filter out illegal content. The technology already exists, according to Chris Brousseau from Veox AI.
The FBI has a database of child abuse materials, and with its digital fingerprints, such content can be automatically blocked. Utah’s tech industry could build these tools, but it needs more government funding.
A comprehensive strategy must also account for how the dark web fuels parallel crises, from exploitation to the large-scale identity fraud that follows major data leaks.
Young mentioned that his team is open to assistance—they’re using all resources available and checking out new technology to stop offenders. Combating the dark web effectively requires a multi-pronged approach, addressing not just exploitation but also the massive financial fraud schemes it enables globally.
This push will help Utah make the internet safer, mostly for kids. The state’s trying to lead the way on this. For example, Governor Cox signed a law requiring age checks on adult websites, and it held up in court.
Utah’s set to use new laws and rule enforcement to fight online crimes and better protect kids. They’re pursuing offenders both on hidden sites and the social platforms we use regularly.
