Question about child pornography

How much do we really know about child pornographers and kiddie porn fiends? Is there a common trait those convicted of owning or making it, or abusing children have? What, in their past, could have turned them on to this? Is there a red flag we can look for people that may indicate their desire for children?

I like teens, I think, because I didn’t get a lot of action in high school, so I am still attracted to teens and college girls. And my first encounters with nudity/near-nudity was looking up girls’ skirts accross the room in grade school, so I have a pany fetish now. Do child pornographers commonly have some kind of link to past experiences as I do with my fetishes? And why children- why not socks or giraffes or cantelopes? And, I think most importantly, is there a way we can prevent this instead of (or aside from) just rooting them out and incarserating them?

I’m sorry about posting another child porn related thread, but I am curious about how much we actually know about this phenomenon. Any psychologists or criminologists on the SDMB- please help!

You’re on the right track, although IANA psychologist. Read the first couple chapters of Lolita.

I do NOT know the law on this but in my mind child pornography equated to sexual desire for pre-pubescent kids. A girls who has made her way through puberty is a different matter in my mind even if she is still under the age of 18. I’m not sure but I thought the law differs in this too with statutory rape laws applying to teenagers but not to children.

I’m not saying that it is acceptable to photo or have sex with underage teens but I don’t think it is necessarily perverted to see a fully-formed 16-year old and find her (or him depending on your inclinations) sexually desirable.