essay on online child abuse

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Protecting children online

Every child must be protected from violence, exploitation and abuse on the internet..

Children are spending more time online than ever before. And they’re getting there sooner. Around the world, a child goes online for the first time every half second.

Growing up online offers limitless opportunities. Through computers, smartphones, gaming consoles, and televisions, children learn, imagine and develop their social networks. When used in the right way – and accessible to all – the internet has the potential to broaden horizons and ignite creativity the world over.

But with these opportunities come serious risks.

Cyberbullying and other forms of peer-to-peer violence can affect young people each time they log in to social media or instant messaging platforms. When browsing the internet, children may be exposed to hate speech and violent content – including messages that incite self-harm and even suicide.

Children can also be put at risk when tech companies breach their privacy to collect data for marketing purposes. Child-targeted marketing through apps – and the excessive screen time it often results in – can compromise a child’s healthy development.

More than a third of young people in 30 countries report being cyberbullied, with 1 in 5 skipping school because of it.

Most alarming is the threat of online sexual exploitation and abuse . It has never been easier for child sex offenders to contact their potential victims, share imagery and encourage others to commit offences. Children may be victimized through the production, distribution and consumption of sexual abuse material, or they may be groomed for sexual exploitation, with abusers attempting to meet them in person or exhort them for explicit content.

In the digital world, any person from any location can create and store sexually exploitative content. Child sex offenders may even livestream sexual abuse from the confines of their homes, directing on-demand abuse of children far away.

Some 80% of children in 25 countries report feeling in danger of sexual abuse or exploitation online.

As children embrace more digital platforms, they too may self-generate sexually explicit imagery. And though these images might be intended for an age-appropriate relationship, they can end up widely shared without consent. Sometimes, trusted adults solicit children to share imagery. For a child victim, this may result in social isolation, mental health issues, substance abuse, self-harm or suicide, as well as an increased likelihood of exhibiting abusive behaviours themselves in adulthood.

UNICEF’s response

What happens online reflects the realities children face every day – at home, at school and in their wider communities.

Strategies to promote online safety must protect the educational and health benefits of digital technologies, while addressing the risks of exposure to violence, exploitation, and abuse, as well as to privacy breaches.

UNICEF works to make the internet a safe place for children to learn, socialize and express themselves. We partner with governments to advocate for necessary regulation, and with tech companies to promote the use of acceptable safety measures on their platforms. We also support ministries of education to teach children digital-literacy and online-safety skills.

Through our Global Kids Online   and Disrupting Harm projects, we gather evidence on children’s digital rights, opportunities and risks to better understand how use of digital technology contributes to their lives – and when it amplifies their risk of harm.

How does UNICEF address the online sexual exploitation of children?

UNICEF prevents and responds to the online sexual exploitation of children at the country and global level. We support coordinated national responses to online child sexual exploitation in over 20 countries – using the WePROTECT Global Alliance model – and strengthen the capacity of on-the-ground responders to provide services to victims. We work closely with governments to guide investments in evidence-based preventive programmes and awareness-raising. And we collaborate with tech companies to make digital products safer for children, providing industry guidelines and developing cutting-edge tools to stop the circulation of child sexual abuse materials.

More from UNICEF

Growing concern for well-being of children and young people amid soaring screen time

Cyberbullying: What is it and how to stop it

What teens want to know about cyberbullying

Violence drives Haiti’s children into armed groups; up to half of all members are now children – UNICEF

DR Congo: Children killed, injured, abducted, and face sexual violence in conflict at record levels for third consecutive year – UNICEF

Ending Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Protecting children from violence and exploitation in relation to the digital environment , addressing technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse in the face of covid 19  , covid-19 and its implications for protecting children online: a technical note from unicef and partners, the state of the world’s children, 2017: children in a digital world, perils and possibilities: growing up online, guidelines for industry on online child protection  , advocacy brief: child online protection, weprotect global alliance: preventing and tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse – a model national response, weprotect global alliance: working examples of model national response capabilities and implementation, global kids online, disrupting harm, online course: action to end child sexual exploitation and abuse, legislating for the digital age: global guide on improving legislative frameworks to protect children from online sexual exploitation and abuse framing the future: how the model national response framework is supporting national efforts to end child sexual exploitation and abuse online.

127 Captivating Child Abuse Essay Ideas, Research Questions & Essay Examples

Child abuse is one of the crucial problems that has been overlooked for many centuries. At the same time, it is an extremely sensitive issue and should be recognized and reduced as much as possible.

In this article, you will find child abuse research topics and ideas to use in your essay.

Let’s start!

📝 The Child Abuse Essay Structure

🏆 best child abuse topics & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on child abuse, 📌 simple research topics about child abuse, 💡 interesting topics on child abuse, ❓ child abuse research questions.

Child abuse is one of the most problematic topics in today’s society. Writing child abuse essays may be challenging because it requires analyzing sensitive issues.

The problem refers to physical, psychological, or sexual mistreatment of children. It is vital to discuss this acute issue in studies and essays on child abuse.

Before working on your essay, you should select a topic for discussion. Here are some child abuse essay topics that we can suggest:

• The problem of child abuse in the US (Canada, the UK)
• Child abuse: Types and definitions
• Child neglect crimes and their causes
• Current solutions to the problem of sexual abuse of children
• The importance of child maltreatment prevention programs
• Child abuse: Legal implications
• Consequences of child abuse and neglect

If you are looking for other possible titles for your paper, you can check out child abuse essays samples online. Remember to only use them as examples to guide your work, and do not copy the information you will find.

One of the most important features of an outstanding essay is its structure. Here are some tips on how you can organize your essay effectively:

• Do preliminary research before writing your paper. It will help you to understand the issues you will want to discuss and outline which of them you will include in the essay. Remember to keep in mind the type of essay you should write, too.
• An introductory paragraph is necessary. In this paragraph, you will present background information on the issue and the aspects that you will cover in the paper. Remember to include a thesis statement at the end of this section.
• Think of the main arguments of your paper. You will present them in the body paragraphs of the essay. What child abuse issues do you want your reader to know about? Dedicate a separate section for each of the arguments. Remember to make smooth transitions between the paragraphs.
• Remember to dedicate a paragraph to identifying the problem of the essay and explaining the main terms. For example, if you are writing a child labor essay, you can discuss the countries in which this practice is present. You can also reflect on the outcomes of this problem.
• Include a refutation section if you are writing an argumentative essay. Discuss an alternative perspective on each of your arguments and prove that your opinion is more reliable than the alternative ones.
• Remember that you should not make paragraphs and sentences too long. It is easier for the reader to comprehend shorter sentences compared to complex ones. You can write between 65 and 190 words per paragraph and include at least 10 words in a sentence. It is a good idea to make all sections of the body paragraphs of similar length.
• A concluding paragraph or a summary is also very important. In this paragraph, you will discuss the arguments and counter-arguments of your paper.
• Do not forget to add a reference page in which you will include the sources used in the paper. Ask your professor whether you need a title page and an outline too.
• If you are not sure that the selected structure is good, check out child abuse essay examples online. Pay attention to how they are organized but do not copy the facts you will find in them.

For extra help, see our free samples and get some ideas for your paper!

• Daniel Valerio Child Abuse In the end, it was an electrician who identified the typical signs of abuse in Daniel that finally led police to investigate, thereby exposing the weakness and ineffectiveness of the Dual Track System; the child […]
• Ethical Dilemma of Child Abuse In the above example, a nurse has to apply rational judgment to analyze the extent and threats when making decisions in the best interest of the victim of child abuse.
• Child Abuse in the Victorian Era in Great Britain This was unacceptable in the eyes of the factory owners resulting in the implementation of the practice of children being sent into the mechanisms of machines while they were still operating since they were supposedly […]
• Child Abuse: Preventive Measures My artifact is an infographic that communicates the various forms of child abuse and how to report them to the necessary authorities.
• Child Abuse Problem The study of the problem of child abuse has begun in the 60s with focusing attention to children problems. In such a case the early recognition of child abuse is of great importance.
• Problem of Child Abuse The most common form of child abuse in America and in most parts of the world is child abuse. The cost of child abuse is dire to both the children, healthcare organizations, parents, and the […]
• Hidden Epidemic of Child Abuse and Neglect Child abuse should be perceived as a form of deviant behavior to which researchers give different explanations: biological, psychological, socio-cultural.
• Physical Child Abuse Usually the child is unaware of the abuse due to the na ve state of mind or innocence. Physical abuse also lowers the social-economic status and thus high chances of neglect or abuse due to […]
• Discipline and Child Abuse: Motivation and Goals The first proof of the justice and reasonableness of discipline is that it is permitted by law to be considered to be the most authoritative source to consult.
• Child Abuse Versus Elder Abuse The second distinction is that older people frequently encounter issues that might lead to abuse or neglect, particularly in nursing homes, such as mental disability, loneliness, and physical limitation.
• The Relationship Between Child Abuse and Embitterment Disorder Some emotions, like the dread of tests in school or sibling rivalry and conflicts, are a regular part of growing up.
• Trafficking Causes Child Abuse and Neglect The dissociation of children from their families and the exposure to intense trauma they are subjected to during and after trafficking may cause the minors to have attachment problems.
• Child Abuse and Maltreatment Discussion Additionally, this may cause a child’s behavior to change, such as making a sad or melancholy face or becoming furious with parents or other adults. When it comes to emotional abuse, a child may feel […]
• Impact of Child Abuse on Adulthood: An Idea Worth Spreading A frequent argument of those who do not want to recognize the scale of the problem of abuse in the world is “Beating is a sign of love!”.
• Effects of Child Abuse on Adults Second, she was so irrationally averse to the idea of having children that I knew immediately that it would be a contentious point in her future relationships.
• Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, or Elder Abuse In every health facility, a nurse who notices the signs of abuse and domestic violence must report them to the relevant authorities.
• Child Abuse: Screening Methods and Creating Financial Programs When the reporting is mandatory, it is easy to follow its guidelines which should be carefully elaborated not to be harsh on parents and at the same time offer protection to a child.
• Child Abuse Allegations: Multidisciplinary Team Approach In children with allegations of child abuse, what is the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary team approach compared to the non-multidisciplinary team approach on prosecution rates, mental health referrals, and provision of medical examinations?
• Criminal Justice System: Child Abuse During the consideration of cases as part of a grand jury, citizens perform some functions of the preliminary investigation bodies.
• Promoting Child Abuse Prevention Services in Oahu, Hawaii, and the US The primary goal the Hui Hawaii organization is trying to achieve is to improve the well-being of American children by preventing abuse, neglect, and depression.
• Child Abuse in Singapore The second reason for child abuse in Singapore to continue being one of the most underreported illegal offenses is the country’s collectivist culture.
• Protocol for Pre-Testing the Child Abuse and Neglect Public Health Policy Based on the above, it is necessary to identify the conditions of child abuse like the quality of family relations and improper upbringing.
• Child Abuse: Term Definition However, there is a component that is not so clearly represented in other crimes: a third party, who has observed the abuse or the consequences of abuse has the legal obligation and reasonable cause of […]
• Sociological Perspective on “Punishment” as a Major Contributor to Child Abuse This is done with the aim of ensuring that the child is disciplined and is perceived as a legitimate punishment. This has offered a loophole to parents to abuse the child in the name of […]
• Critical Statistical Data Regarding the Issues Related to Child Abuse Due to acts of abuse children suffer greatly and it will not be wrong to say that these experiences are definitely engraved into the child’s personality.
• Child Abuse and Culture: Juan’s Case Analysis The following is the list of reflective insights that I came to while getting myself familiarized with Juan’s case and analyzing this case’s discursive implications: When addressing the issue of children being suspected to have […]
• New Jersey’s Bill on Child Abuse and Neglect The legislation’s impact is expected to be large because it is targeted at raising awareness of the pervasive issue of child abuse and encouraging the public to stay active and not to disregard any signs […]
• Child Abuse in the UAE and Explaining Theories The interest of carrying out the study on child abuse is based on the fact that it is a critical issue in any society, especially due to the actual and possible consequences on the child […]
• Child Abuse and Neglect and Family Practice Model Also, psychological violence can be either the only form of violence or the consequence of psychological or sexual abuse or neglect. Inadequate evaluation of the child’s capabilities and overstated requirements can also be a form […]
• Child Abuse and Neglect: Drug and Alcohol Problems The families of individuals who have committed a drug related offense should be investigated in order to ensure the practice is acceptable and capable of supporting the needs of more societies.
• Child Abuse: History and Causes The purpose of this paper is to explore the history, and causes of child abuse as well as the legislation implemented to address its cases.
• Child Abuse as a Result of Insufficient Policies According to Latzman and Latzman, child abuse may be manifested in the use of excessive physical force when disciplining a child or an adolescent.
• The Prevention of Child Abuse From the interview conducted with the school administrator of the local elementary school and the director of a local preschool, it is clear that both institutions have some advocacy plans for the prevention of child […]
• Child Abuse and Neglect A church/synagogue/mosque retreat activity for parents and they children can be beneficial in strengthening parents to deal with the issues of child abuse and neglect.
• The Causes and Effects of Child Abuse The main problem of the project is the presence of a number of effects of child abuse and parental neglect on children, their development, and communication with the world.
• A True Nature of the Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect in a Society The outcomes of child abuse usually depend on a variety of factors like the age of a child, the type of relation between a child and a perpetrator, and, of course, the type of maltreatment.
• Child Abuse Problems and Its Effects on a Future Child’s Life In fact, there were the three main challenges in writing the literature review just completed that were overcome due to the ability to organize the work, follow the suggestions of the experts, and keep in […]
• Effects of Child Abuse The nature of the effects of child abuse, their consequences in a society, and the most appropriate preventive methods should be considered.
• Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect Antisocial behaviour is one of the outcomes of child abuse and parental neglect that may be disclosed in a variety of forms.
• Child Abuse Issues and Its Effects The recognition of child abuse signs is a very important step as it is wrong to believe that child maltreatment takes place because of the presence of a single sing or poor understanding of child […]
• Child Abuse and Capstone Project This is why the problem of child abuse remains to be crucial for analysis, as people have to understand its urgency and effects on human behavior.
• The Effects of Child Abuse: Capstone Project Time Line The development of a Capstone Project will become a new step in solving the problem and thinking about the possible ways of improvement the situation and creation the most appropriate living conditions for children.
• Introducing Improvements to Children Abuse Reporting System The paper is connected with the analysis of the quality of the current child abuse report systems because of the serious problems in the sphere of childcare.
• Biological Underpinnings Behind Child Abuse The dimension of the baby’s head is also seen to decrease in quantity from on third of the whole body at birth, to a quarter at the age of two years and to an eighth […]
• Cause and Effect of Child Abuse Parental response to the children is also presented in a form of abuse of the rights of the children, as they feel neglected or disowned.
• Child Abuse: A Case for Imposing Harsher Punishments to Child Abusers While harsh punishments appear to offer a solution to the problem, this measure may be detrimental to the welfare of the child in the case where the abuser is its guardian.
• Child Abuse and Neglect Children in Court The objective of this paper was to determine the level of knowledge and nature of attitudes among maltreated children who appeared in court during their detention case hearings.
• Randomized Trial of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders in Adult Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse However, in spite of the fact that there exist a wealth of clinical literature on treatment methodologies of victims of sexual abuse, the evidence base concerning the treatment of victims of childhood sexual abuse exhibiting […]
• Child Sexual Abuse: Impact and Consequences Due to the adverse consequences of sexual abuse, efforts to have Jody share her ordeal and get immediate help would be my priority.
• Educational Program on Child Abuse The report “Initial reliability and validity of a new retrospective measure of child abuse and neglect” by Bernstein, Fink and Handelsman provides the findings of the consistency and validity of some of the conservative measures […]
• Public Health Media Campaign Proposal for Child Abuse
• Child Abuse and Lack of Communication in Marriages the Main Factors of Failed Family
• The Reasons and Three Most Common Factors Contributing to Child Abuse in Our Society
• Child Abuse and Its Effects on Social and Personality Development
• Neo-Liberal and Neo-Conservative Perspectives on Child Abuse
• Physical and Behavioural Indicators of Possible Child Abuse
• Defining Child Abuse and Its Different Forms in the 21st Century
• Child Abuse and Neglect: Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms
• Behind Closed Doors: The Correlation Between Multiple Personality Disorder and Child Abuse
• Child Abuse and Later Maladjustment in Adulthood
• Modern Beliefs Regarding the Treatment of Child Abuse Victims
• Neighborhood Poverty and Child Abuse and Neglect: The Mediating Role of Social Cohesion
• The Connection Between Child Abuse, Child Discipline, and Adult Behavior
• State the Possible Types, Signs and Symptoms of Child Abuse and Why It Is Important to Follow the Policies and Procedures of the Work Place
• Child Abuse and Its Effects on the Physical, Mental, and Emotional State of a Child
• Child Abuse, and Neglect and Speech and Language Development
• Social Issue: Child Abuse and How It Affects Early Childhood Development
• Child Abuse Scandal Publicity and Catholic School Enrollment
• Physical Abuse: The Different Types of Child Abuse
• Promoting Help for Victims of Child Abuse: Which Emotions Are Most Appropriate to Motivate Donation Behavior
• Describing Child Abuse, Its Different Forms, and Solutions to the Problem
• Child Abuse: The Four Major Types of Abuse, Statistics, Prevention, and Treatment
• Causes and Risk Factors Behind Child Abuse
• Child Abuse, Cause, and Effect on the Rest of Their Lives
• Child Abuse Has Severe Negative Psychological Effects on Children
• Child Abuse and the Professional Network Working Within the Child Protec
• Child Abuse Prevention and Control: Can Physical, Sexual or Psychological Abuse Be Controlled Within the Household?
• Child Abuse and the Effect on Development Into Adulthood
• Child Abuse: Victim Rights & the Role of Legal Representative
• Child Abuse and the Legal System – Developmental Forensic Psychology: Unveiling Four Common Misconceptions
• Parent Stress Factors and Child Abuse: A Tutoring Proposal
• Approaching Child Abuse From a Multi-Dimensional Perspective
• Child Abuse, Alcoholism, and Proactive Treatment
• Adverse Effects and Prevention of Child Abuse
• Suspected Child Abuse and the Teacher´S Role in Reporting It
• Child Abuse and Its Correlation to Poverty
• Sexual Child Abuse Exploring the Mind of the Perpetrator
• Relationship Between Domestic Violence and Child Abuse and How to Protect the Children From It
• Child Abuse Saddest and Most Tragic Problem Today
• Child Abuse and Academic Performance of Children
• Why Should People Care About Child Abuse?
• Why Should Child Abuse Be Addressed as a Social Problem?
• How Child Abuse and Neglect Affect Childhood?
• How Has Child Abuse Been Conceptualised and Addressed in Policy and Law?
• How to Protect Children From Abuse and Neglect?
• What Are the Negative Effects of Child Abuse?
• How Is the United States Dealing With Child Abuse Problem?
• How Can Therapy Help Victims of Child Abuse?
• How Can the Community Stop Child Abuse and Neglect?
• When Should Teachers Report Child Abuse?
• What Cause Child Abuse?
• Does Child Abuse and Neglect Lead To Bullying?
• How Do the Government and Society Have a Responsibility to Help Child Abuse Victims?
• Parent Support Groups Can Reduce Child Abuse?
• When Child Abuse Overlaps With Domestic Violence: The Factors Influencing Child Protection Workers’ Beliefs?
• How Can Spanking Lead to Child Abuse?
• How the Government and Society Have a Responsibility to Help Child Abuse Victims
• What Does Victimology Say About Child Abuse Data?
• Are There Any Biomarkers for Pedophilia and Sexual Child Abuse?
• When Does Discipline Cross the Line to Child Abuse?
• How Child Abuse Affects a Hero, a God, and a Monster in Greek Mythology?
• Does Child Abuse Create a Psychopath?
• Does Not Get Noticed Enough Around the World Is Child Abuse?
• How Can Sexual Child Abuse Affect the Child’s Psychological Development?
• How Child Abuse Effects Students Education?
• How Do Abuse and Neglect Impact a Child’s Whole Life?
• Should Pregnant Drug Abusers Be Charged With Child Abuse?
• How Children Carry the Weight of Child Abuse?
• Does Child Abuse Cause Crime?
• Childhood Essay Topics
• Attachment Theory Essay Topics
• Child Development Research Ideas
• Mental Health Essay Ideas
• Child Welfare Essay Ideas
• Childcare Research Topics
• Alcohol Abuse Paper Topics
• Foster Care Titles
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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• Child and Youth Safety Online

Young people are the driving force of connectivity globally, with 79% of 15 to 24-year-olds online in 2023, compared with 65% for the rest of the world’s population. Children are also spending more time online than ever before. And they’re getting there sooner. Around the world, a child goes online for the first time every half second!

This has created unprecedented opportunities for children and young people to communicate, learn, socialize, and play, exposing them to new ideas and more diverse sources of information.

Risks of the Internet for young people

But with these opportunities come serious risks. Cyberbullying and other forms of peer-to-peer violence can affect young people each time they log in to social media or instant messaging platforms. Over a third of young people in 30 countries report being cyberbullied, with 1 in 5 skipping school because of it.

When browsing the Internet, children and young people may be exposed to hate speech and violent content - including messages that incite self-harm and even suicide. Young internet users are also vulnerable to recruitment by extremist and terrorist groups.

Digital platforms have also been used as vectors for  disinformation and conspiracy theories that have a harmful effect on children and young people.

Most alarming is the threat of online sexual exploitation and abuse . It has never been easier for child sex offenders to contact their potential victims, share imagery and encourage others to commit offences. Some 80% of children in 25 countries report feeling in danger of sexual abuse or exploitation online.

Children can also be put at risk when tech companies breach their privacy to collect data for marketing purposes. Child-targeted marketing through apps - and the excessive screen time it often results in - can compromise a child’s healthy development.

What the UN is doing to protect young people online

The borderless nature of the Internet means keeping young people safe online is a global challenge. The UN is actively working to protect children and youth online through various programmes and initiatives.

Cybersecurity

The Child Online Protection ( COP ) Initiative is a multi-stakeholder network launched by the International Telecommunication Union ( ITU ) to promote awareness of child safety in the online world and to develop practical tools to assist governments, industry and educators.  The ITU Guidelines on Child Online Protection are a comprehensive set of recommendations for all relevant stakeholders on how to contribute to the development of a safe and empowering online environment for children and young people. 

Cyberbullying

The United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNICEF ) has teamed up with social media platforms to answer some of the most common questions about cyberbullying and give advice on ways to deal with it. UNICEF’s Kindly initiative aims to end cyberbullying — one message at a time.

Every first Thursday of November, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) marks the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School Including Cyberbullying , recognizing that school-related violence in all its forms is an infringement of children and adolescents’ rights to education and health and well-being. The day is an opportunity for stakeholders around the world step up efforts to ensure students’ safety at school and in online spaces.

Sexual exploitation and abuse

UNICEF prevents and responds to the online sexual exploitation of children at the country and global level. It supports coordinated national responses to online child sexual exploitation in over 20 countries - using the WePROTECT Global Alliance model - strengthening the capacity of on-the-ground responders to provide services to victims.

The World Health Organization ( WHO ), in its 2022 report on preventing online violence against children, focuses on child sexual abuse, including grooming and sexual image abuse and cyber aggression and harassment. The report highlights the importance of implementing educational programmes directed at children and parents.

Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a global crime that trades in people and exploits them for profit. Human traffickers have become adept at using internet platforms to recruit victims and attract clients. Children and teenagers are susceptible to deceptive ploys in the search for acceptance, attention, or friendship and are often ‘courted’ by traffickers on social media platforms. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC ) supports Member States in their efforts to prevent and combat human trafficking, including through online safety awareness activities aimed at children and young people.

Internet for Trust

UNESCO is spearheading the global effort to develop regulatory solutions to improve the reliability of information on digital platforms in the face of rising disinformation. In February 2023, the UN agency hosted the Internet for Trust conference to discuss a set of global guidelines which aim to create a safe and secure internet environment for users while protecting freedom of expression and access to information. The guidelines urge digital platforms to recognize their specific responsibilities towards children who have a special status given their unique stage of development and limited political voice.

UNESCO is also the lead UN agency promoting media and information literacy ( MIL ), which  empowers people to think critically about information and use of digital tools. UNESCO strives to equip youth with media and information literacy skills empowering them to be leaders and peer educators in the creation and dissemination of MIL knowledge and resources. Since 2016, it has been holding the Youth Agenda Forum to help young people learn about the latest developments in MIL. This is part of the annual Global Media and Information Literacy Week , a major occasion for stakeholders to review and celebrate the progress achieved towards media and information literacy for all.

Children’s rights in the digital age

Children’s rights are enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child . The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child ( CRC ) that monitors implementation of the Convention has laid out the ways that young people and children should be treated in the digital world, and how their rights should be protected.

The Committee consulted with governments, civil society and over 700 children and young people in 27 countries, asking them how digital technology impacts their rights, and what actions they want to see taken to protect them. The findings were laid out in a ' general comment .'

The Committee recommended that States take strong measures, including legislation, to protect children from harmful and misleading content. Children should also be protected from all forms of violence that happens in the digital environment, including child trafficking, gender-based violence, cyber-aggression, cyber-attacks and information warfare.

Children’s perspectives and experiences need to be considered when drafting policies that govern the use of young people’s digital use, as well as when designing the technology itself. UNICEF supports the Global Kids Online and Disrupting Harm projects to gather evidence on children’s digital rights, opportunities, and risks to better understand how use of digital technology contributes to their lives and when it amplifies their risk of harm.

Safer Internet Day

UN agencies and partners, including innovators in the private sector, are forging a digital path towards boosting safety online, especially for children and young people. With support from ITU, UNICEF and UNODC, Safer Internet Day is celebrated in February every year. From cyberbullying to social networking to digital identity, each year Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues and current concerns.

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Student Opinion

What Should Be Done to Protect Children Online?

At a congressional hearing, senators accused tech executives of harming their platforms’ youngest users. How concerned are you about online safety?

By Jeremy Engle

How concerned are you about the dangers of social media and the internet? In your opinion, are technology companies doing enough to protect children online? If not, should Congress step in and pass legislation to address the problem?

Last week, in a contentious congressional hearing, U.S. senators grilled executives from Meta, X, TikTok, Discord and Snap, telling the leaders they had “blood on your hands” and calling on them to apologize for their companies’ role in harming children.

In “ ‘Your Product Is Killing People’: Tech Leaders Denounced Over Child Safety ,” Cecilia Kang and David McCabe write:

Lawmakers on Wednesday denounced the chief executives of Meta, TikTok, X, Snap and Discord , accusing them of creating “a crisis in America” by willfully ignoring the harmful content against children on their platforms, as concerns over the effect of technology on youths have mushroomed. In a highly charged 3.5-hour hearing , members of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee raised their voices and repeatedly castigated the five tech leaders — who run online services that are very popular with teenagers and younger children — for prioritizing profits over the well-being of youths. Some said the companies had “blood on their hands” and that users “would die waiting” for them to make changes to protect children. At one point, lawmakers compared the tech companies to cigarette makers. “Every parent in America is terrified about the garbage that is directed at our kids,” Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, said. The tech chiefs, some of whom showed up after being forced by subpoena, said they had invested billions to strengthen safety measures on their platforms. Some said they supported a bill that bolsters privacy and parental controls for children, while others pointed to the faults of rivals. All of the executives emphasized that they themselves were parents. In one blistering exchange with Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, stood up and turned to address dozens of parents of online child sexual exploitation victims. “I’m sorry for everything you have all been through,” Mr. Zuckerberg said. “No one should go through the things that your families have suffered.” He did not address whether Meta’s platforms had played a role in that suffering and said the company was investing in efforts to prevent such experiences. The bipartisan hearing encapsulated the increasing alarm over tech’s impact on children and teenagers. Last year, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general, identified social media as a cause of a youth mental health crisis . More than 105 million online images, videos and materials related to child sexual abuse were flagged in 2023 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the federally designated clearinghouse for the imagery. Parents have blamed the platforms for fueling cyberbullying and children’s suicides . The issue has united Republicans and Democrats, with lawmakers pushing for a crackdown on how Silicon Valley companies treat their youngest and most vulnerable users.

Students, read the entire article and then tell us:

What is your reaction to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child safety? How important is the issue to you? Is it a topic you regularly discuss with your friends, family or teachers?

How justified were the accusations senators leveled at tech executives? Do you think social media companies are prioritizing profits over the health and well-being of young people? Are tech leaders willfully ignoring the harmful content against children on their platforms? Or have their efforts so far, such as investments in safety measures, proved they are taking the issue seriously?

What is your reaction to the decision by Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, to stand and address abuse victims’ families in the hearing room and tell them, “I’m sorry for everything you have all been through”? Should all tech executives issue similar apologies? Is that enough? What should tech companies do to address the rising fears that their platforms are harming young people?

The Senate Judiciary Committee discussed several child safety bills directed at the tech platforms before the hearing. One law, the Kids Online Safety Act , would create a legal duty for certain online platforms to protect children. Digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation have criticized some of the legislative proposals, which they say could encourage the platforms to take down legitimate content while the companies try to comply with the laws. What do you think of such legislation? Which of the various proposed bills, if any, do you think would be most effective?

What other options or possible solutions exist, in your view, and why? What role should parents or children themselves play? If you were in charge of a social media company, what actions to protect young people, if any, would you take? If you were a member of Congress, what steps would you take?

What is missing in this debate? What do you think adults — parents, teachers, tech company executives, political leaders — should know about online safety and how young people use the internet that they might not understand?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

Jeremy Engle joined The Learning Network as a staff editor in 2018 after spending more than 20 years as a classroom humanities and documentary-making teacher, professional developer and curriculum designer working with students and teachers across the country. More about Jeremy Engle

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Finkelhor D , Turner H , Colburn D. Prevalence of Online Sexual Offenses Against Children in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(10):e2234471. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.34471

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Prevalence of Online Sexual Offenses Against Children in the US

• 1 Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham

Question   What are the lifetime prevalence and characteristics of online and technology-facilitated sexual abuse against children and youth?

Findings   In this national survey study of 2639 individuals, lifetime exposures were as follows: online child sexual abuse, 15.6%; image-based sexual abuse, 11.0%; self-produced child sexual abuse images, 7.2%; nonconsensual sexting, 7.2%; online grooming by adults, 5.4%; revenge pornography, 3.1%; sextortion, 3.5%; and online commercial sexual exploitation, 1.7%.

Meaning   Varied subtypes of online sexual abuse have different prevalence rates.

Importance   Sexual abuse is increasingly facilitated by technology, but the prevalence and dynamics of such offenses have not been well delineated, making it difficult to design prevention strategies.

Objective   To examine the frequency and characteristics of online and technology-facilitated sexual abuse against children and youth.

Design, Setting, and Participants   In this nationally representative online survey study performed from November 19 to December 29, 2021, young adults aged 18 to 28 years were asked retrospectively about their childhood (<18 years) experiences of online and technology-facilitated abuse. The 2639 participants were sampled from an online panel.

Main Outcomes and Measures   Participants were asked questions about 11 different kinds of online and technology-facilitated sexual abuse with follow-up questions about their dynamics and offenders. Prevalence rates were calculated for several cross-cutting concepts (online child sexual abuse, image-based sexual abuse, self-produced child sexual abuse images, nonconsensual sexting, online grooming by adults, revenge pornography, sextortion, and online commercial sexual exploitation). Survey weights were applied to obtain population prevalence estimates.

Results   A total of 2639 individuals (48.5% male, 49.8% female, and 1.8% other gender; 23.7% Hispanic, 12.6% non-Hispanic Black, 53.9% non-Hispanic White, 4.8% other race, and 5.0% ≥2 races) were surveyed. Childhood (before 18 years of age) prevalence rates were as follows: online child sexual abuse, 15.6% (SE, 1.0%); image-based sexual abuse, 11.0% (SE, 0.9%); self-produced child sexual abuse images, 7.2% (SE, 0.7%); nonconsensual sexting, 7.2% (SE, 0.7%); online grooming by adults, 5.4% (SE, 0.5%); revenge pornography, 3.1% (SE, 0.5%); sextortion, 3.5% (SE, 0.6%); and online commercial sexual exploitation, 1.7% (SE, 0.3%). The prime age of vulnerability across all categories was 13 to 17 years. Perpetrators in most categories were predominantly dating partners, friends, and acquaintances, not online strangers.

Conclusions and Relevance   The results of this national survey study suggest that a considerable portion of youth have experienced online child sexual abuse. Professionals planning prevention and intervention strategies for online sexual abuse should understand that dynamics include diverse episodes that are often extensions of dating abuse, sexual bullying, and sexual harassment, not only events perpetrated by adult internet predators.

Technology has created new modalities for the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Adults use social media to target children for illegal sexual activities. Dating partners and peers use digital devices to take and misuse sexual images of their friends. Many variations of these abuse dynamics have been identified by educators, 1 physicians, 2 , 3 police, 4 and parents and have been labeled with names such as online sexual abuse, 5 online sexual solicitation, 6 online grooming, 7 image-based sexual abuse, 8 child sexual abuse image production, 9 sextortion, 10 , 11 and nonconsensual sexting. 12

These new offenses have disrupted traditional understandings of child sexual abuse—sexual activity with a child that is nonconsensual because of it being coerced, being unwanted, or involving an impermissible age difference. The variety of technology-facilitated modalities may have different dynamics and risk factors that imply the need for new kinds of prevention and intervention strategies. Although this area of research has begun to attract more interest, 13 , 14 much more empirical work is needed.

One need is to better describe the scope and diversity of these offenses that have been labeled with an array of different terms. The popular narrative of adult internet predators is often reflexively applied to these offenses by journalists and advocates, yet even studies that focus exclusively on police arrest cases show a great diversity of offenses, including events frequently perpetrated by other youth, friends, family, and romantic partners. 15 To compound the problem, cases with these latter dynamics may often be underreported in data from police or child protection agencies. The current study used a nationally representative population survey to categorize and define many of these new technological modalities of abuse, estimate their prevalence, and demonstrate how they can be assembled from a single survey into the various conceptual categories that have become part of the research and policy conversation.

This survey study was conducted from November 19 to December 29, 2021, using a nationally representative online panel (KnowledgePanel, Ipsos). KnowledgePanel members were recruited by random probability sampling from mail addresses gleaned from national universal address databases. Digital devices were provided to any recruited sample members who lacked devices to participate. All panelists aged 18 to 28 years (n = 13 884) were solicited online (no in-person contact) for the current survey. All panelists responded to a consent statement that preceded the questionnaire. In total, 2639 panel members participated in the survey by the end of data collection, with an overall study completion rate of 20% and a cumulative response rate of 1%, taking into account the original panel recruitment statistics. 16 Such response rates are not untypical of modern survey research, and the KnowledgePanel design has been shown to be on par with what more traditional survey methods can currently provide. 17 - 19 The study was approved and overseen by the University of New Hampshire Human Subjects Review Board. This study followed the American Association for Public Opinion Research ( AAPOR ) reporting guideline.

Of the 2639 participants who completed surveys, 933 reported 1 or more retrospective episodes (before 18 years of age) in response to screening questions about technology-facilitated abuse. For those with multiple episodes, the survey gathered follow-up information on 2 episodes, prioritizing episodes that were at the youngest age and of less frequent occurrence in the sample overall, as determined by a survey pretest. The final recruited sample was slightly older and more often female compared with the US population distribution of individuals aged 18 to 28 years. Weights were developed for the sample that adjust for nonresponse (raking adjustment to the 2021 age-specific benchmarks for gender, educational level, race and ethnicity, household income, US Census region, and metropolitan status) and the prioritization of lower base-rate incidents among those with multiple exposures.

The study operationalized several distinct offenses that occur under broader concepts from the literature, 5 , 8 , 14 such as image-based sexual abuse, online grooming, and nonconsensual sexting. Outlined below are 11 screening questions with yes/no responses that, in various combinations, operationalized these broader categories of offenses. These questions were developed from a review of previous questionnaires and consultation with experts in the field.

“Has someone ever shared with other people a sexual picture or video of you without your permission?” This question was meant to include episodes in which someone may have had consensually obtained an image but then shared it with others for whom it was not intended. This could include the sharing of an image that was not initially obtained consensually.

“Has someone ever taken or made a sexual picture or video of you without your permission?” This question was meant to include images of the child being abused or having sexual images taken when the child was unconscious, intoxicated, distracted, or unable to consent. It could also include so-called deepfake images in which a child’s head or likeness was imposed on a sexual image of someone else.

“Has someone ever threatened, tried to force you, or strongly pressured you to provide sexual pictures or videos online or through a cell phone?” This question was meant to include episodes of someone trying to coerce images when the target was unwilling or reluctant. It could also include a romantic partner pressuring or badgering the individual into providing an image. An image need not to have been provided.

“Has someone ever threatened to share a sexual picture or video of you to get you to do something—like take or send other sexual pictures of yourself, have a sexual relationship with them, pay them money, or something else?” This could included episodes in which a perpetrator claimed to be in possession of sexual images and was threatening to misuse them unless the target did something for them.

“Did anyone ever use the internet or a cell phone to try to get you to talk about sex when you did not want to?” This category could include very brief or casual inquiries.

“Did anyone ever use the internet or a cell phone to ask you for sexual information about yourself when you did not want to answer those questions? This means very personal questions, like what your body looks like or sexual things you have done?” As with unwanted sexual talk, this category could include very brief or casual inquiries.

“Did anyone ever use the internet or a cell phone to ask you to do something sexual that you did not want to do?” As with unwanted sexual talk and unwanted sexual questions, this category could include very brief or casual inquiries.

“Did you have intimate sexual conversations or share sexual pictures or videos (online or through a cell phone), even if you wanted to, with a person who was 5 or more years older than you?” This question was meant to capture voluntary sexual interactions with an older partner.

“Have you done any of the following things over the internet or a cell phone (including texting) in exchange for money, drugs, or other valuable items?” Participants provided yes/no responses to 3 sources of commercial exploitation: sexual talk; making, sending, or posting sexual pictures or videos of oneself; or any other sexual activity. This question was meant to capture incidences of youths using technology to earn money or get valuables by providing sexual services.

We grouped the prevalence rates associated with these individual screener questions (or portions of them) into aggregates that represented broader concepts that have been articulated in the literature 20 ( Table 1 ). The following categories describe the aggregates.

Online solicitation included unwanted solicitations (unwanted sexual talk, unwanted sexual questions, and unwanted sexual act requests) by adults or other youth (known or unknown). Because so many of these episodes were brief and of unknown source, only those from known adults are included in subsequent categories.

Online child sexual abuse, also called online child sexual exploitation and abuse, included all the individual screener questions, even those that had no image content. For the unwanted solicitation items, only solicitations by adults were counted as qualifying as sexual abuse. 21

Image-based sexual abuse included episodes from all the individual screener questions that applied to images—misuse of images, threats or pressure to obtain images, voluntarily provided images in a statutorily impermissible relationship, and the provision of images for commercial purposes. 8 For the forced image category and for voluntary older partner, only episodes in which images were actually provided were counted. 6 , 13 , 22

The nonconsensual sexting aggregate combined both nonconsensual sharing of images and the nonconsensual taking or production of images. The portion of forced image episodes that resulted in an image being provided was counted as well.

Self-produced child sexual abuse images included youth providing their own images to perpetrators who nonconsensually shared them. This type of abuse also included forced image episodes in which an image was shared, as well as the voluntary sharing of images with adults or in commercial image transactions. This type of abuse does not include voluntary image sharing with a peer.

Online grooming by an adult included unwanted solicitation and forced images but only when they involved presumed or known adults. 7 , 23 This type of abuse also included voluntary older partner contact and commercial sexual exchange activities (commercial talk, images, or other) when adults were involved.

Revenge pornography included sexual images that had been provided or taken without consent (nonconsensual sharing and nonconsensual image taking) but only where follow-up questions determined that the misuse was to intentionally hurt or humiliate the target. 24 Other motives for nonconsensual use, such as showing off, were not counted.

The term sextortion has been generally used to describe someone making a threat to disseminate sexual images in their possession to obtain money, additional pictures, or other sexual activities. 11 , 20 Sextortion is equivalent to the single screener question on threatened sharing.

Online commercial exploitation aggregated the 3 types of providing sexual services for reward. These included commercial talk, commercial images, or other commercial sexual activity.

Data were analyzed using Stata/SE software, version 17 (StataCorp LLC). Survey weights were applied during analyses to obtain population prevalence estimates. Only episodes occurring before 18 years of age were counted. Episodes in adulthood were available from the survey but were excluded in this analysis. To determine whether there were significant differences between child or perpetrator characteristics, we conducted Pearson χ 2 tests. A 2-sided P  < .05 was considered to be statistically significant.

The sample consisted of 2639 individuals (48.5% male, 49.8% female, and 1.8% other gender [trans male, trans female, or gender fluid/nonconforming]; 23.7% Hispanic, 12.6% non-Hispanic Black, 53.9% non-Hispanic White, 4.8% other race [option on the survey], and 5.0% of ≥2 races). The most frequently reported types of screener episodes (with their prevalence rates) were unwanted sexual questions that occurred online (18.8% [SE, 1.1%]), unwanted sexual talk (16.9% [SE, 1.0%]), and unwanted requests to engage in sexual acts (14.3% [SE, 1.0%]) ( Table 1 ). Aggregated together as online solicitation, these episodes were encountered during childhood by 22.5% (SE, 1.2%) of the sample. This aggregated category included a large proportion of episodes (74.8% [SE, 2.7%]) that were brief enough that targets did not know much about the solicitor ( Table 2 ).

Another frequently reported type of episode (10.3% [SE, 0.8%]) was the experience of being threatened, forced, or strongly pressured to provide someone with sexual images ( Table 1 ). The next most frequently reported type of episode (8.6% [SE, 0.7%]) was engaging in intimate sexual conversations or the sharing of sexual pictures or videos with a person 5 or more years older even if voluntary. The prevalence rates were 4.9% (SE, 0.6%) for nonconsensual image sharing, 2.0% (SE, 0.3%) for nonconsensual image taking, and 3.5% (SE, 0.6%) for being threatened with such sharing. The prevalence rates were 1.5% (SE, 0.3%) for commercial talk, 1.1% (SE, 0.2%) for commercial images, and 0.8% (SE, 0.2%) for other commercial activity.

We aggregated these specific rates of screener endorsements to represent broader concepts that have been discussed in the literature and measured in other surveys ( Table 1 ). These aggregated categories overlap in various ways. Online child sexual abuse, a broad category, had a prevalence rate of 15.6% (SE, 1.0%) of the sample. Image-based sexual abuse, another broad concept but limited to images, had a prevalence rate of 11.0% (SE, 0.9%).

Nonconsensual sexting had prevalence rate of 7.2% (SE, 0.7%). This concept included images shared nonconsensually, taken nonconsensually, or obtained through force or pressure (if images were provided).

Self-produced child sexual abuse image (prevalence rate, 7.2% [SE, 0.7%]) included providing images to perpetrators who nonconsensually shared them, providing an image under pressure or force, and the voluntary sharing of images with adults or in commercial image transactions. This offense did not include other kinds of voluntary image sharing with a peer if no nonconsensual use occurred.

Online grooming, exclusively solicitations from and exchanges with adults, had a prevalence rate of 5.4% (SE, 0.5%). Revenge pornography (prevalence rate, 3.1% [SE, 0.5%]) covered only nonconsensual sharing or taking of images when the motive, as reported by the respondent, was specifically to harm them.

The prevalence rate for sextortion or sexual extortion, limited to someone making threats to share images already in their possession, was at 3.5% (SE, 0.6%). The 3 types of online commercial sexual exploitation (commercial talk, images, or other) aggregated to a total prevalence of 1.7% (SE, 0.3%).

Table 2 indicates that youth in the 13- to 17-year-old range comprised the large majority of targets for every episode type (81.8% for the total aggregate online child sexual abuse). Offenses against those 12 years or younger comprised less than 16% in all categories.

Table 2 also lists the perpetrator characteristics. In all categories, perpetrator age was unknown for a large percentage of episodes, increasing to a prevalence of 74.3% (SE, 2.7%) for online solicitation and 61.0% (SE, 8.0%) for commercial exploitation. Among perpetrators with known age, youthful offenders younger than 18 years made up a considerable proportion, particularly (35%-52%) for image-based sexual abuse (39% [SE, 4.0%]), nonconsensual sexting (46.6% [SE, 5.4%]), self-produced child sexual abuse images (35.1% [SE, 5.3%]), and revenge pornography (51.7% [SE, 8.4%]).

The perpetrator identity section of Table 2 also indicates that persons known offline constituted most perpetrators (55.5%-79.5%), except for 3 categories in which there were particularly large numbers of unknown perpetrators (online solicitation, 74.8% [SE, 2.7%]; sextortion, 40.6% [SE, 8.6%]; and online commercial exploitation, 65.1% [SE, 7.9%]). Few perpetrators were online-only acquaintances. The aggregate type with the largest percentage of online-only acquaintances was online grooming with an adult perpetrator, which still represented only 18.7% (SE, 3.3%) of these episodes.

Table 3 lists the rates of all categories of technology-facilitated abuse by gender. The rates for overall online child sexual exploitation and abuse and almost all of its subcategories were more than 2 times higher among female than male individuals. Transgender and gender-fluid individuals also reported substantially higher rates than cisgender male individuals for most subcategories.

This survey study provides more nuanced information about technology-facilitated sexual abuse of juveniles than has been available in previous epidemiologic studies. 14 These more nuanced distinctions are required because definitional categories are still in flux, and the large variety of concepts being used in research and advocacy have often not been clearly operationalized. 20

Results indicate that rates vary considerably, depending on the categories of particular interest, ranging from 22.5% for online solicitation to 1.7% for commercial exploitation. Solicitation is a category that includes many brief episodes of unknown origin, and its frequency can inflate any aggregate to which it is added. Our understanding of the concept of sexual abuse and grooming in the literature has led us to exclude solicitations from the concept of online child sexual abuse or grooming, except when these solicitations came from an identified adult. This understanding corresponds to the convention that unwanted peer inquiries about sexual matters are not typically counted as sexual abuse in the offline context. 25

Despite the variability of these categories, many of their features were consistent. Girls were more vulnerable than boys. Teens were the more frequent targets. Teens were also frequent perpetrators, as were young adults. Adults older than 26 years comprised only a small proportion of the offenders. The proportions of perpetrators who were in-person intimate partners, friends, and acquaintances outnumbered those who were online-only contacts. The exact proportions were complicated somewhat by a large percentage of perpetrators whose identity was unknown to or unreported by respondents. It should not, however, be presumed that unknown perpetrators were only adults or strangers, because acquaintances and other youth also have motives to hide their identities.

An important implication of these findings is that technology-facilitated abuse of children is diverse. It is not only adults or online strangers who are responsible for the problem. The problem includes peers or somewhat older young adult friends who pressure youth for sexual images or activities or who nonconsensually misuse images they have received. This abuse includes many romantic partners and offline friends.

The current study makes clear that statistics gathered in previous technology-facilitated abuse studies 26 - 28 should not be simply interpreted as assessments of child abuse perpetrated by unknown adult groomers and molesters on the internet. The problem is exacerbated by the common use of the term sexual abuse , which is often presumed to imply an adult perpetrator. However, given the common dynamics of online sexual abuse in evidence here, many episodes might be better characterized as forms of intimate partner abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual bullying. 29

The diversity of technology-facilitated abuse has important implications for prevention. Education efforts need to go beyond simply warning youth that online contacts may not be who they claim to be. 30 Youth need to develop a set of skills that are tailored to different situations and sources of risk, including being alert to efforts at coercive control by friends and romantic partners. They need to know how to deflect and dissuade requests and pleas for sexual activities and images that are unwanted, and they need to become proficient in setting boundaries.

Considering the need for such skills, we believe there may be some benefit to integrating online safety tools into existing evidence-based programs in sex education, bullying, and dating violence prevention. 30 , 31 These programs have been subject to more refinement, have a more extensive research base, and have greater staff training and experience than new, experimental, stand-alone internet safety programs.

This study has a number of strengths, including a comprehensive assessment of online abuse using a multiple-question survey, detailed follow-ups, and a nationally representative sample. However, the study has some notable limitations as well. Like most contemporary surveys, the overall participation rate was low. However, the probability-based sample, efforts to reduce sample bias, and weighting strategies increase our confidence in the accuracy of our results. In addition, the episodes being analyzed in this study were retrospective accounts, some more than 10 years old. In the rapidly changing digital world, these accounts may not reflect current reality for young people. Moreover, respondents may have forgotten or misremembered details of events that occurred several years ago.

The results of this national survey study indicate that a substantial proportion of young people have experienced online child sexual abuse. Professionals planning prevention and intervention strategies for online sexual abuse must understand that dynamics include diverse episodes that are often extensions of dating abuse, sexual bullying, and sexual harassment, not only events perpetrated by adult internet predators.

Accepted for Publication: August 15, 2022.

Published: October 14, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.34471

Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY License . © 2022 Finkelhor D et al. JAMA Network Open .

Corresponding Author : David Finkelhor, PhD, Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, 115 McConnell Hall, Durham, NH 03829 ( [email protected] ).

Author Contributions : Drs Finkelhor and Turner had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Concept and design: Finkelhor, Turner.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: All authors.

Drafting of the manuscript: Finkelhor, Colburn.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: All authors.

Statistical analysis: Finkelhor, Colburn.

Obtained funding: Finkelhor, Turner.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Finkelhor.

Supervision: Finkelhor, Turner.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Drs Finkelhor and Turner reported receiving grants from the National Institute of Justice during the conduct of the study. No other disclosures were reported.

Funding/Support: This research was funded by grant 2020R2CX0015 from the National Institute of Justice (Drs Finkelhor and Turner).

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funding source supported the design and conduct of the study; the collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and the preparation of the manuscript. The funding source had no role in the review or approval of the manuscript or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

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A Systematic Review of the Education and Awareness Interventions to Prevent Online Child Sexual Abuse

• Original Article
• Published: 28 January 2022
• Volume 15 , pages 857–867, ( 2022 )

Cite this article

• Anastasia Patterson   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3336-6047 1 ,
• Leah Ryckman 1 &
• Cristóbal Guerra 2  

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Online child sexual abuse is highly prevalent in current society, in part, due to how technologically advanced children and adults have become. While much of the focus has been on perpetrator intervention, it is prudent to consider responses safeguarding children from potential perpetrators. Therefore, this review aimed to identify all the available empirical research on the prevention methods linked to education and awareness to determine the approaches' effectiveness, successes, and failures to aid future interventions. Databases were systematically searched for studies published between 2000 to 2020. Nine studies providing different prevention methods for online child sexual abuse were selected. A total sample of n = 672 and a descriptive approach was used for this study. While the interventions seemed to improve knowledge retainment of online safety, there was no significant change for risky online behavior. These findings provide specific suggestions for future interventions, particularly those focusing on risky online behaviors.

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Patterson, A., Ryckman, L. & Guerra, C. A Systematic Review of the Education and Awareness Interventions to Prevent Online Child Sexual Abuse. Journ Child Adol Trauma 15 , 857–867 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-022-00440-x

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Accepted : 17 January 2022

Published : 28 January 2022

Issue Date : September 2022

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-022-00440-x

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