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A study has lifted the lid on online child abuse in modern America, showing that nearly 16 percent of minors have been pressured to do everything from sexting to taking sexual pictures of themselves and sharing them over the Internet.
Research from the University of New Hampshire at Durham shows significantly higher rates of online child abuse than were detected by previous studies, which indicated rates between 5-12 percent.
In addition to the disturbing number of children being cared for online by adult predators (5.4 percent), the study also revealed other forms of abuse — such as non-consensual sexting and revenge porn — linked to peers and even dating partners.
It comes amid revelations of adults, including teachers, in New York, Kansas and Florida, abusing children over the Internet, and of youths being coerced into nefarious acts by groomers on online games like Fortnite.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, David Finkelhor, a child safety expert who led the study, said the findings should ring alarm bells and encourage parents to guide children about online safety and healthy relationships.
A study from the University of New Hampshire at Durham found that 15.6 percent of children have been sexually abused online – about 11.5 million young people
David Finkelhor, a child safety expert at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, calls children the “demographic group most victims of crime”
“They need to know some signs about which partners and friends are trustworthy,” said Finkelhor, a sociologist who heads the university’s Crimes Against Children Center.
“They need to know the kinds of manipulations that can lead them to intimacy that they may regret. They need to know why relationships with older partners are illegal and don’t work.’
For his research, Finkelhor asked 2,639 participants ages 18 to 28 about their online experiences when they were under 19, focusing on 11 types of online sexual abuse. They broadly reflected the demographics of contemporary America.
It found that a “substantial proportion” of 15.6 percent had experienced online sexual abuse – equivalent to 11.5 million children.
The most common abuse involved the sharing of sexual images, which 11 percent of the participants had experienced. About 7.2 percent had shared a photo of themselves that was then shared with others without their permission.
Other common forms of abuse included revenge porn, which affected 3.1 percent of children, and sextortion — or being threatened with sharing sexual images — which affected 3.5 percent.
Jonathan High, 30, a church deacon from Steinhatchee, Florida, was convicted this month of making and sharing video footage of two young boys in a church restroom
Natalie Black, 27, a teacher in Queens, New York, who reportedly sent nude photos of herself to students after winning an excellence award in 2017
The study concluded that the types of abuse were “diverse” and “often were extensions of dating abuse, sexual bullying and sexual harassment, not just events perpetrated by adult Internet predators.”
Finkelhor said child protection experts are unlikely to be “surprised at the magnitude” of the results. Although previous studies had shown less abuse, it was difficult to compare different studies.
Still, he added that “children are the demographic most victims of crime” and the study revealed a “changing environment” in worrying online behavior involving young people “who need our attention.”
The study comes in the wake of a series of online child sexual abuse scandals, including Jeffrey Pierce, a former teacher and basketball coach from Topeka, Kansas, who was jailed 30 years last month.
The 42-year-old posed as a girl on various social media platforms and tricked more than 80 boys in the Topeka area into taking and sending images of himself performing sexual acts.
Jonathan High, 30, a church deacon from Steinhatchee, Florida, was… convicted this month videotaping and sharing two young boys in a church toilet. He will be convicted in January.
Recently, multiple cases of sexual abuse and inappropriate behavior by female teachers have been exposed in New York, including Natalie Black, 27, a teacher in Queens, who allegedly sent nude photos of herself to students.
The risks of online gaming have also become clear. A shocked father in Australia revealed this week how his 12-year-old son was forced to send sexual images to a gamer he met while playing Fortnite.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, incidents of child sexual abuse occur every nine minutes. Sufferers of abuse can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or visit www.rainn.org.