About this Research Topic
A record number of offences involving the sexual grooming of children online was recorded in March 2021, representing a 70% increase since 2018 (NSPCC, 2021). Sexual grooming, and technology-assisted child sexual abuse more broadly, continues to be identified by the National Crime Agency (2021) as one of the major threat areas in the UK. Despite this, empirical research adopting a victim-survivor-centered approach, with a focus on how children and young people are affected by this type of sexual abuse, as well as the unique needs they present with, remains sparse.
More specifically, ‘sexual grooming’ refers to the process engaged in by some offenders in order to ‘prepare’ a child for abuse. It has been observed in the context of strategies used by offenders to identify, approach and abuse children in the physical world as well as via internet technologies. ‘Technology-assisted child sexual abuse’ (TA-CSA) refers to the sexual abuse of children as facilitated via internet technologies. This may include engaging children in inappropriate conversations of a sexual nature, exposing them to sexual content, inciting them to engage in and perform acts of a sexual nature, requesting sexual images, recording digital material and subsequently sharing this, making child sexual material, and sextortion.
There are unique factors involved in TA-CSA that mean the psychological impact is complicated, such as the abuse having been recorded and shared, and as such there being a permanent record, the abuse often taking place in victims’ own home and private space. As a result, the psychological impact is similar to that of victims who have experienced sexual abuse in the physical world, but including additional complexities in light of the role of technologies played therein.
The proposed Research Topic aims to present and showcase current work undertaken in this area to provide an overview of existing knowledge and understanding of this phenomenon. It is hoped that this will inform research and practice endeavors, further practitioners’ knowledge and understanding, and thereby improve the quality of care and support given to victim-survivors following experiences of technology-assisted child sexual abuse across multiple sectors, including education, policing, mental health services, and the criminal justice system. We are looking for and are interested in submissions from academics, researchers or practitioners related to the mental health and support needs of victim-survivors of technology-assisted child sexual abuse.
We are looking for and are interested in submissions from academics, researchers or practitioners related to the mental health and support needs of victim-survivors of technology-assisted child sexual abuse. Submissions can be in the form of original research articles, literature reviews, case studies or brief reports. Key is that they focus on the mental health and/or support needs of victim-survivors of technology-assisted child sexual abuse.
More specifically, ‘sexual grooming’ refers to the process engaged in by some offenders in order to ‘prepare’ a child for abuse. It has been observed in the context of strategies used by offenders to identify, approach and abuse children in the physical world as well as via internet technologies. ‘Technology-assisted child sexual abuse’ (TA-CSA) refers to the sexual abuse of children as facilitated via internet technologies. This may include engaging children in inappropriate conversations of a sexual nature, exposing them to sexual content, inciting them to engage in and perform acts of a sexual nature, requesting sexual images, recording digital material and subsequently sharing this, making child sexual material, and sextortion.
There are unique factors involved in TA-CSA that mean the psychological impact is complicated, such as the abuse having been recorded and shared, and as such there being a permanent record, the abuse often taking place in victims’ own home and private space. As a result, the psychological impact is similar to that of victims who have experienced sexual abuse in the physical world, but including additional complexities in light of the role of technologies played therein.
The proposed Research Topic aims to present and showcase current work undertaken in this area to provide an overview of existing knowledge and understanding of this phenomenon. It is hoped that this will inform research and practice endeavors, further practitioners’ knowledge and understanding, and thereby improve the quality of care and support given to victim-survivors following experiences of technology-assisted child sexual abuse across multiple sectors, including education, policing, mental health services, and the criminal justice system. We are looking for and are interested in submissions from academics, researchers or practitioners related to the mental health and support needs of victim-survivors of technology-assisted child sexual abuse.
We are looking for and are interested in submissions from academics, researchers or practitioners related to the mental health and support needs of victim-survivors of technology-assisted child sexual abuse. Submissions can be in the form of original research articles, literature reviews, case studies or brief reports. Key is that they focus on the mental health and/or support needs of victim-survivors of technology-assisted child sexual abuse.
Keywords: Psychological Impact, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Physical Impact, Online Child Sexual Abuse, Technology-Assisted Child Sexual Abuse
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
