Estimates of childhood exposure to online sexual harms and their risk factors
- A new study from WeProtect Global Alliance, conducted by Economist Impact, surveyed 2,000 18-year-olds across four European countries, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland.
- The study examined those who had regular access to the internet as children to understand their experiences and exposure to online sexual harms during childhood.
- 68% of respondents experienced at least one of the four online sexual harms considered.
- A quarter of respondents reported receiving sexually explicit content from an adult they knew or someone they did not know between the ages of 9 and 12.
- 54% received sexually explicit content on a private image or video sharing service.
- The study also found that girls are disproportionately affected by online harms during childhood with 79% experiencing at least one online sexual harm during childhood, compared with 57% of boys.
- For more, please visit the We Protect website.
Revealed: Number of children experiencing online hate speech is growing but are parents talking about it?
- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd and Internet Matters have joined together to tackle online hate, such as racism, homophobia, and sexism.
- The joint initiative is called ‘The Online Together Project’ and is an interactive tool made up of 10 questions, offering advice and encouraging conversations between parents and children.
- It comes after research of 1,600 UK parents and 1,000 children aged 9-16 conducted in November 2022 revealed how 12% of parents reported their children experienced hate speech online.
- Hate speech is listed as one of the top five things young people say they experience online, with 62% of parents reporting being concerned about their child becoming exposed to hate speech.
- Brian Ford, the Vice President of Customer Experience at Samsung Electronics UK stated that “it’s crucial to provide tools to help young people safely navigate the internet and teach what is appropriate to share online”.
- For more, please visit the Samsung Newsroom UK website.
The following story may be regionalised.
Crimes deemed the biggest threat to women and girls in Greater Manchester
- Domestic abuse, sexual assault, rape, child sex abuse and exploitation have all been given the same priority as terrorism and serious organised crime by police in the Greater Manchester area.
- This comes as the Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment has been provided to police forces across the UK, which includes confidential intelligence about the risks posed to women and girls.
- Reports of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) make up over a quarter of calls received by Greater Manchester Police.
- Campaigners have warned that the country is seeing an “epidemic” of gender-based violence.
- For more, go to MSN’s website.
