By India McCarty
A new report finds that young people are overwhelmingly exposed to sexual content and interactions online.
“Minors continue to report online sexual interactions with adults and other minors at similar rates,” the study, conducted by nonprofit Thorn, stated. “In 2024, almost the same share of minors reported having had an online sexual interaction with someone they believed was younger than 18 (27%) as reported having had one with someone they believed was 18 or older (29%).”
The study added that teens were “more likely” than younger children to report having these experiences, but that one in four 9-12 year-olds “reported having an online sexual interaction with someone they believed to be an adult, up 4 percentage points from 2023.”
These harmful interactions are especially targeted at young boys (aged 9-12), with 33% reporting they had “an online sexual interaction.”
Related: Sextortionists Target Teen Boys on Popular Social Media Platforms
“We are not meeting the moment sufficiently to help young people navigate this new risky environment in which they’re growing up,” Thorn’s vice president of research and strategic impact, Melissa Stroebel, told Parents of their study’s findings.
She continued, “Technology platforms have a responsibility to build with child safety in mind, to engage with their ecosystems to understand the unintended risks that come with their exciting innovations.”
“This has to be the whole of society coming together to respond and commit to change,” Stroebel concluded. “Because there’s no reason why these kids should be navigating this alone.”
She provided some tips for parents who want to help their kids navigate these situations, recommending that you have these conversations early, and to keep them open and candid. Stroebel also told parents it’s important to set boundaries with their kids, helping them define who should be considered a stranger online, and when they should cut off contact when a conversation gets uncomfortable.
“Kids need to know that if something goes wrong, if they feel uncomfortable, if they feel like they made a mistake, if they feel like they’re in danger, that we will be alongside them in that journey no matter what,” she said.
Thorn has partnered with many different organizations over the years in an effort to combat the sexual abuse of children online.
Last year, they announced a partnership with AI company Hive. Julie Cordua, CEO of Thorn, said in a statement, “Protecting children in the digital age requires innovative solutions that evolve as quickly as the threats they face. Our expanded partnership with Hive demonstrates how collaboration is a powerful way to combat CSAM at scale. Together, we’re making it possible for platforms of any size to implement robust protection measures and contribute to building a safer digital world for children.”
Thorn’s findings are an indicator that now more than ever, parents need to be aware of what their children are doing online and be willing to have conversations with their kids about what to do if they end up in a potentially harmful situation.
Read Next: ‘Tremendous Victory’: Pornhub Held Accountable for Child Sexual Abuse Material on Site
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