Accidentally came across (possibly?) illegal content on a website when I was a minor, over one year ago. [WA]

I’m not an attorney but in my criminal information security class that was taught by a state police trooper that deals in child pornography, is that they can tell the difference between an accidental click and repeated viewings/downloads/uploads and other distribution. I wouldn’t worry about it if your story is the truth. If there was an accidental download and you deleted the file immediately it could still be retrieved. It’s not difficult to retrieve a file unless it has been overwritten multiple times. If there was something bad in the cache they also take that into consideration 1 illegal file vs. hundreds or thousands of files/videos for a legitimate child porn offender. What you saw is important and where you saw it. Say you viewed an adult video. Due to the nature of the internet, it’s easy to access, nothing is going to come out of this. If you got an email from a buddy that said click on this link to see a 12 year old taking a bath and you clicked it then it wasn’t an accident and there was intent. Is there a reason you feel that you’ve committed a crime? This is more likely guilt over morals. If you choose to disclose what you are worried about then it may help those who reply to guide you to an answer that will be helpful to you. When I was 16, I legitimately broke the law without knowing due to the grooming of a child predator. I did not know the consequences were bad and I did not understand that until later in life that my actions were illegal. I took the experience as a hard life lesson and had plenty of therapy. Had I been caught by the police, I would have been mandated to see a psychologist and my record, had they given me one would have been expunged at 18. I’m giving my personal story just to let you know that you were not an adult and you likely didn’t do anything wrong. If it was something bad and you have guilt, tell a parent. That was my mistake. They may not like what they hear, but if you trust them, they should be able to help you. Good Luck OP.

/r/legaladvice Thread