A study conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group released last month showed that the pandemic opened doors for sexual exploitation among the youth brought by an increase in screen time during the pandemic.
WNG reported that the Benenson Strategy Group study showed 1 in 7 preteens have shared nude images of themselves online, a double increase in records in the United States for 2020. The study said that 17% of children aged 9-17 admitted sharing photos or videos of themselves naked online, reflecting a 6% increase to that of 2020 as compared to the 11% of 2019.
According to gender, boys involving all age groups--9 to 17--shared nude photos more than girls at 19% and 14%, respectively, in 2020 or up by 10% and 2%, respectively, as compared to 2019 data of 9% and 12%, respectively.
These data, the study pointed out, is an offshoot of the lockdowns during the pandemic that led children to spend more time online. This situation was augmented by the fact that sexually explicit content also proliferated online during the same time and, in turn, contributed to the increase of nude photo sharing among children and to sexual exploitation.
In the study, entitled "Self-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material: Youth Attitudes and Experiences in 2020," Benenson Strategy Group and its partner, THORN, point out that the rise in sexual exploitation reflect the reality that "minors may be operating with less supervision in online spaces, particularly among 9-12 year olds, compared to 2019 numbers."
The study also revealed that minors are able to create "secondary accounts" that they use to keep their online transactions "private from some groups like caregivers or friends." The 4% increase of the presence of such "secondary accounts"--27% in 2020 from 23% in 2019--also happened during the pandemic alongside a 8% drop of minors in the 9-12 age group-- 37% in 2020 from 45% in 2019--in complying to the safety rules online.
An interesting finding in the study showed that minors who identify themselves to be members of the LGBTQ+ community have shared nudity twice as those who do not identify to be members of the community.
"Youth who identify as LGBTQ+ remained at heightened risk in 2020; compared to their nonLGBTQ+ peers, they reported being two and a half times as likely to have shared their own SG-CSAM," the Benenson study highlighted.
Findings showed an 11% increase for LGBTQ+ members in sharing nudity online or at 32% in 2020 from 21% in 2019. While non-LGBTQ+ members only had a 5% increase or at 13% in 2020 from 8% in 2019.
The study also showed that experiences in sharing nudity was highest among minors aged 15-17 for 2020 at 24%, followed by those aged 9-10 at 15%, and by aged 11-12 and 13-14 that both registered 13% for 2020. Yet, minors aged 9-10 showed the highest increase in nudity sharing experiences online as compared to other age groups when compared to its 2019 data of a mere 3%. Those aged 13-14 ranked second in the increase of nudity sharing experiences online at 7% from its 6% in 2019, followed by those aged 11-12 at 6% from the 7% of 2019, and by minors aged 15-17 at 5% to the 19% of 2019.
"Young people continue to engage with SG-CSAM both through exploratory and higher risk coercive pathways. The findings from our 2020 survey underscore the persistence of demographic differences in kids' attitudes and behaviors related to SG-CSAM. Continued data collection and analysis related to this topic, along with the impact of COVID, remains a vital need to deliver successful interventions that safeguard and support young people as they navigate their digital experiences," the Benenson Strategy Group concluded.
