Peer-reviewed article
Prevalence of Online Sexual Offenses Against Children in the US
David Finkelhor, Heather A. Turner, Deirdre Colburn ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This national survey asked young adults aged 18–28 years in the US about their experiences of online and technology-facilitated sexual abuse before age 18. The study found that 15.6% experienced online child sexual abuse, with rates varying by abuse type, peaking between ages 13–17. Most perpetrators were dating partners, friends, and acquaintances rather than strangers, suggesting that prevention strategies should address dating abuse and peer-to-peer harm, not only adult predators.
Key points
- 15.6% of young adults reported experiencing online child sexual abuse before age 18
- Image-based sexual abuse affected 11.0%, nonconsensual sexting 7.2%, and online grooming by adults 5.4%
- Peak vulnerability was between ages 13–17 across all abuse categories
- Most perpetrators were dating partners, friends, and acquaintances, not online strangers
- Prevention strategies should address peer-to-peer abuse including dating abuse, sexual bullying, and harassment
Limitations
The study relies on retrospective self-report from young adults recalling childhood experiences, which may be subject to recall bias and underreporting. The survey participants were from an online panel, which may not fully represent all segments of the US population.
Abstract
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.