A large share of children and teens under 18 who become victims of sexual assault crimes meet their perpetrators online through social media.
That is according to a new retrospective study titled "Social Media Facilitated Sexual Assault in Children," the findings of which were presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2024 National Conference & Exhibition.
Researchers evaluated children aged 10 to 18 who received treatment for sexual assault at the Rady Children's Hospital Chadwick Center for Children and Families---a hospital in California---between 2018 and 2023.
The study defines "social media-facilitated sexual assault" as cases where the victims and the perpetrators used social media to communicate.
Study Finds Children Fall Victim to Online Sexual Assault
The study found that 7% of children and teens treated for sexual assault at the hospital during the period analyzed met their perpetrators online. The study looked further into victims who were not related to their perpetrators and found that the share of sexual assault cases increased to 12%.
On average, the victims analyzed in the study were aged 13. At least 89% of the sexual assault victims were females, while 13% were males. In contrast, 80% of perpetrators were adult men. Moreover, 60% of the patients analyzed were related to their perpetrator.
While there is no data available yet, a follow-up research was conducted by lead study author Dr. Shalon Nienow found that the share of sexual assault cases where the child met their perpetrator online has significantly risen, per CNN.
Multiple online platforms were reported. However, Instagram and Snapchat were the most widely used social media platform among the children.
Similar Studies on Other Forms of Sexual Assault
The retrospective study is not the first to attribute a rise in sexual assaults of children to social media. A separate 2023 research conducted by Voice of Children and KNH Germany found that 38.6% of girls and 32.3% of boys received sexual calls and messages through social media.
Furthermore, the study found that 34.1% of girls received inappropriate photos while 6.8% suffered other forms of online harassment and exploitation. Among boys, 29.2% received indecent photos and 6.2% suffered other forms of abuse and exploitation.
