Online sexual exploitation of children and young people
Jo Bryce · 2015
Internet safety is a significant concern for parents, education and child protection services, service providers, enforcement and the government. The Internet, social networking sites1 and use of mobile phones are now an integral part of the everyday social lives, identities and relationships of young people. Their active engagement with these technologies focuses on creating and sharing content, communicating with friends, and meeting new people. Whilst this has potential benefits for creativity, education and the development of media literacy, it also creates opportunities for exposure to a number of online risks that can have a potentially negative impact on their psychological and physical well-being (e.g. cyberbullying, access to sexual and violent content, and so on). One of the greatest concerns over risks associated with young people’s online behaviour is the potential for sexual exploitation. This can include behaviours such as experiencing inappropriate sexual contact and communication with adults or other young people online; involvement in the production and distribution of illegal or age-inappropriate sexually explicit content; and initiating inappropriate and abusive sexual contact with others.