Eight Categories of Harmful Content

The Reports Harmful Content (RHC) organization defined harmful internet content into eight classifications: Abuse, Bullying and Harassment, Threats, Impersonation, Unwanted Sexual Advances, Violent Content, Self-harm/Suicide Content, and Pornographic Content.

These categories provide a framework for understanding the types of content that cause the most harm online and help guide both policy and technological responses.

Key Findings

Based on 644 reports submitted in 2020 -- a 292% increase from 2019 -- pornography ranked second behind bullying and repeated harassment as the most reported harmful content category. The dramatic increase in reports reflects growing awareness and willingness to report harmful content.

Notably, online pornography was the number one harmful content reported on sites outside of RHC's remit. These were primarily non-mainstream platforms with limited operator contact information, making it difficult for users to report or remove content through normal channels.

Demographic Insights

The analysis revealed significant demographic patterns in who reports pornographic content. Males reported pornographic content twice as frequently as females, at 66% versus 34%. The 19-30 age group accounted for 54% of all reports, with males comprising 67% in this age category.

Research suggests that younger males may report such content more frequently due to conflicting emotions -- guilt stemming from educational messaging that conflicts with their consumption patterns. Some researchers have described this as a coping mechanism.

What This Means

The data underscores the scale of the problem and the need for robust content filtering solutions. For families, schools, and organizations, implementing DNS-based content filtering provides an important layer of protection against unwanted exposure to harmful content categories, including pornography.