Beyond the Screen – Addressing Digital Sexual Violence

Beyond knowing or guessing which apps are installed on devices, do adults grasp the complex social dynamics, content algorithms, and peer interactions that shape young people’s online experiences? What can the role of schools be in assisting young people to navigate the risks while enjoying the benefits? And what do children and teenagers actually want from the adults in their lives when it comes to digital media guidance and support? This article explores these questions and offers some practical, research-informed strategies for building meaningful dialogue and relationships regarding digital media. 

Threats and Risks

Sexualised violence targeting young people in digital spaces has increased alarmingly in the last few years. Sextortion, cyber grooming, and non-consensual image sharing are no longer rare phenomena. They are routine threats in the lives of children who are mostly left alone with technology not built to protect them.

The risks are varied and on almost all platforms: Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Discord, Messaging Apps, Games, and all social media. The nonprofit Thorn found that online grooming can escalate into exploitation within hours of first contact (Thorn, 2023).

 A 2025 report from the FBI and NSPCC highlighted a disturbing rise in online sextortion, where predators coerce minors into sharing sexual images, then blackmail them with threats of exposure or financial demands (IWF, 2025 / The Guardian, 2025). The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received over 546,000 reports of online exploitation in 2024 – a 192% increase from the previous year (NCMEC, 2024). This also correlates with the sharp increase in offences reported to police internationally. A study initiated by the Austrian government found that 28% of 11 to 14 year olds had experienced various forms of sexual harassment online. This increased to 51% from age 15 to 17. As in other forms of sexualised violence, girls are targeted twice as often as boys (ÖIAT, 2025).

A relatively new but also quickly spreading threat is that of deep fake imagery of real people, including children using artificial intelligence. This is known as Child Sexual Abuse Material generated through Artificial Intelligence, in short AI CSAM (IWF, 2024). 

The Effects

Experiencing sexualized harassment and violence has serious implications, also for mental and physical health. Many of these may not be noticed so easily or brought into context with sexualised violence and can include:

• Shame and silence: Many children don’t speak up out of fear, shame, or because they blame themselves.
• Social withdrawal: Those affected may isolate themselves, disengage from school, and lose trust in adults.
• Re-victimization: Once shared, images and videos can be downloaded and distributed repeatedly, creating long-term harm even after the abuse ends (Powell & Henry, 2023).
• Psychological stress and mental health issues: Victims can suffer from anxiety, depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts (Thorn, 2024).
  
  
• This is not just an “online issue.” It affects young people’s real lives, their mental health, their education, and their safety.

Why are Young People Vulnerable?

Risks stem from the emotional isolation that especially youth can experience. When they engage in online contacts, they can be vulnerable due to different factors, such as:

1. Digital independence outpaces emotional maturity – Children and teens are using platforms mainly designed for adults, without the knowledge or maturity to handle manipulation and coercion (Sinclair & Farahany, 2025).
2. Lack of supervision – Many parents are unfamiliar with the platforms their children use or assume that privacy equals respect. But when it comes to digital access, unmonitored privacy can become a dangerous form of neglect.
3. Perpetrator advantage – Offenders create fake identities, targeting many children while using multiple platforms with very persuasive methods.
4. Inadequate protection from tech companies – Despite public pressure, most tech platforms still fail to implement default privacy settings, effective moderation, or child friendly reporting systems (Thorn, 2023).

Young People’s Wishes and Adult Support

When asked, children and youth have very direct requests for support. They want to feel safer and supported, based on research, surveys, and academic analysis. These are some findings:

1. Safe Spaces to Talk Without Judgment
Many children fear being punished, blamed, or losing access to devices if they disclose harm. They want safe, non-punitive conversations. Children need adults they can talk to and trust without fear of punishment or shame. Adults should encourage young people to speak to them when they have questions or uncertainties.

2. Balanced Guidance
Digital researcher Sonia Livingstone emphasizes quality over quantity—teaching kids how to use tech well rather than how long to use it. Children respond better to flexible, reasonable rules than rigid limitations. Adults could be more interested in the content that children are involved in and share time exploring and discussing.

2. Understanding Over Restrictions
Children often express frustration with strict bans. In a 2024 UK poll, kids reported feeling safer and more confident online than adults assumed (The Guardian, 2024). Adults could practice more collaboration according to the age of the child and less rigid control.

4. Digital Literacy and Risk Awareness
According to ISPCC Ireland, children want to learn how to recognize manipulation and abuse online. Children should be taught how to recognize perpetrator strategies, set boundaries, and navigate risky situations online. Education builds their confidence and helps them to set boundaries and ask for help.

5. Respect for Digital Identity
Young people express frustration with ’sharenting’—parents posting their images without permission. Adults are role models. How parents and teachers deal with personal content and pictures of children is an orientation for how respectful they themselves will act.

6. Empowerment Through Education
School-based prevention programs that help children understand boundaries, refusal rights, and safe disclosure methods are highly valued.

7. Community-Based Safety
Research suggests moving from parental control models toward community-supported ones, where teens are empowered and supported by trusted adults and peers.

9. Trust-Based Communication
Children are more likely to disclose abuse when adults are relaxed, emotionally available, and open to slow-paced, trusting dialogue.

10. Helpful Support and Empowerment
Survivors must know that abuse is never their fault and that asking for help is a sign of strength. Supportive communication should emphasise empowerment over shame and provide ways to counseling and psychologically informed care. This can help children process abuse and rebuild trust.

What Schools Can Do

School can be a place where young people find understanding and support in their age group. There has been an ongoing change in the role of the school in the last years to include more social and behavioural  issues facing children and youth. A way to approach this is found in Ignatian pedagogy. Cura personalis allows a focus on the whole person and a respect for all their experiences. Acknowledging that young people may have different motivations, interests and needs that they are trying to fulfill with online communication is a helpful starting point. Being open, curious and including students’ perspectives can be a fruitful and enlightening exchange. This can take place in class content, counselling, pastoral care and also work with parents. Ignatian spiritual practices can help to find more inner calm and confidence and boost resilience in examining the complete worth of each individual.

For safeguarding, it also practically means including digital risks in prevention and intervention and publicly speaking on them. Some specific points are:

• Including digital safety education into safeguarding programs and curricula
• Training staff to recognize the warning signs of digital abuse along with other stress related symptoms
• Creating supportive (and anonymous) reporting options and clear intervention protocols with a special focus on digital risks
• Knowing the expert support locally and online, such as helplines (e.g. findahelpline.com), counselling centres and therapeutic support.

What Parents Can Do

Parents should be encouraged to be more understanding of the online behaviour of their children and be interested in their activities and experiences there. They can be reminded of their responsibilities as the primary care givers even with the challenges of unknown digital worlds. It would be helpful if schools reflect on their communication with parents. In what ways are safeguarding topics made public, for example in parent evenings, as special topics and also through digital media such as newsletters, Instagram and Facebook. In raising awareness, it is important not to increase fears. Instead the focus should be on raising confidence in acting helpfully.

Parents can be encouraged to support their children by:

– Sharing time in speaking about and discovering appropriate online activities: Know what platforms their children are using, being interested, asking questions.
– Learning for themselves about risks and how to deal with these.
– Knowing and using safety settings in different digital media and not relying on them alone. Know that conversations and real interest build more trust than restrictions.
– Teaching their children early and help them understand online manipulation, perptetrator strategies and also peer risks.
– Practicing healthy screen habits as role models. Children follow adult behaviours, also digitally.
– Sharing time specifically without digital devices.

Facing these digital worlds is a challenge without easy answers. By being honest about this and sharing different views and experiences, parents and children can negotiate new pathways together.

Widening Our Perspectives

The digital landscape will continue to evolve and the fundamental need for meaningful connection between teachers, other school professionals, students and parents will remain constant. When we in school approach young people’s digital lives with curiosity rather than fear, with partnership rather than control, we create better conditions for genuine learning and protection. The question is how we can relate to their online experiences more effectively. By embracing this shift from restriction to relationship, we open doors to more nuanced, respectful, and ultimately successful approaches to digital safeguarding. Young people then receive more chances of understanding and relating to others about their online experience. Building trust in relationships strengthens the individual and offers more meaningful support and assistance. Bibliography

Internet Watch Foundation. (2025, September 1). Child sexual extortion cases in the UK soar with warnings ‘ruthless’ criminals are still putting children and young people at risk.
https://www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/news/child-sexual-extortion-cases-in-the-uk-soar-with-warnings-ruthless-criminals-are-still-putting-children-and-young-people-at-risk/

Internet Watch Foundation. (2024, July). What has changed in the AI CSAM landscape?
https://www.iwf.org.uk/media/nadlcb1z/iwf-ai-csam-report_update-public-jul24v13.pdf

Österreichisches Institut für angewandte Telekommunikation. (19 February, 2025). Neue Studie: Jugendliche von sexueller Belästigung im Internet betroffen.
https://www.onlinesicherheit.gv.at/Services/News/Neue-Studie-Jugendliche-von-sexueller-Bel%C3%A4stigung-im-Internet-betroffen.html 

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). (2024, February). NCMEC releases new sextortion data. https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2024/ncmec-releases-new-sextortion-data

The Guardian. (2025, August 9). FBI and NSPCC alarmed at ‘shocking’ rise in online sextortion of children. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/aug/09/fbi-nspcc-alarmed-shocking-rise-online-sextortion-children

Thorn. (2023). Grooming and sextortion: The tactics of online predators. https://www.thorn.org/research/grooming-and-sextortion/

Thorn. (2024). The devastating toll of sextortion on kids. https://www.thorn.org/press-releases/new-data-reveals-the-devastating-toll-of-sextortion-on-kids/

World Health Organization: Teens, screens and mental health – New WHO report indicates need for healthier online habits among adolescents. 25 September 2024
https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/25-09-2024-teens–screens-and-mental-health?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Powell, A., & Henry, N. (2023). Digital harassment and image-based sexual abuse among youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 72(4), 612–619. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9859771/

Sinclair, R. R., & Farahany, N. A. (2025). Technology-facilitated sexual violence among gender and sexual minority youth. Computers in Human Behavior, 144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107831

This article was written with some assistance from AI in research and some formulations.