Online sexual violence directed at children is becoming more common – prevention requires open discussion and vigilance

Online sexual violence is becoming more and more common and targeting younger and younger children. According to police statistics, the majority of sexual assaults on children reported to the police in 2026 occurred or the course of events began on the internet.

Similarly, most of the cases, in which it is suspected that a young person has been offered compensation for a sexual act, that have come to the attention of the police this year have taken place online. Sexual offences against children and reported to the police as a whole have also increased. In 2023, 801 cases of sexual abuse of a child were reported to the police, while in 2025, the number of these cases reported to the police was as high as 1,517. 

An adult has no justified reason to be in contact with an unknown child on social media

According to a recent survey by the Finnish organisation Protect Children, online sexual violence typically begins when the victim of the act is about ten years old. According to a survey conducted by the organisation Save the Children Finland, more than one out of four respondents aged 11 to 17 had received a sexual message, and 15 per cent had sent one themselves in the past year. One in three children said that they had been contacted on social media or online by an adult or a person at least five years older than themselves. However, no adult has a justified reason to be in direct contact on social media or online with a child or young person they do not know. Two thirds of the children who had been contacted by an adult had experienced sexual violence as a result of the contact. 

The responsibility for sexual violence always lies solely with the perpetrator of sexual violence. However, online violence contains features that parents should be aware of and also tell their child about them in an age-appropriate manner. A suitable point in time to instruct the child in the safe use of the internet is at the latest when the child is allowed to use smart devices independently. 

“It is important to talk with children about the downsides of the internet: just like offline, there are people online who want to hurt others or use them for their own ends. In addition, it is a good idea to discuss with children where the content published online may end up and why there is no need to respond to all friend requests or contacts,” says Superintendent Saara Asmundela of the National Police Board.

Photographs of children can end up in materials edited by artificial intelligence

A good rule of thumb is “once online, always online”. If you post any content on social media or the internet, you lose control over how the content is handled and shared later. More and more material that depicts children in a sexual manner is created with artificial intelligence. Photographs are posted online by children themselves, but also by their parents. 

“More and more material that depicts children sexually is created with artificial intelligence, and this material makes use of non-sexual images of children and young people available online. Parents of children should understand these risks. Therefore, you should consider carefully whether to upload any images online at all and, if you do, what kind of images you upload,” says Superintendent Saara Asmundela of the National Police Board.

Children and adolescents are also encouraged to send sexual images of themselves by pretending to be their peers. The perpetrator may at first try to create trust in the child and then slowly begin to introduce sexual content into the conversation until it becomes a normalised part of the communication. A request for a sexual image and video may also be disguised as a challenge. When a child finally sends a sexual picture or video of themselves, blackmail may begin: if the child does not send money or more pictures, the perpetrator threatens to share the material sent by the child with all of the child’s contacts. Information published by a child about themselves or their loved ones on social media may also be used for blackmail purposes. 

Children of all genders are victims of online sexual violence, but especially girls. However, sexual extortion for money against children is an increasingly common form of online violence, and it is almost exclusively directed at boys. 

Only a fraction of sexual offences against children come to the attention of the police

In a blackmail situation or after sending pictures or videos in general, the child typically does not dare to tell anyone about what happened because of the shame and guilt the child experiences. Only a fraction of sexual offences against children come to the attention of the police. Children rarely told anyone about their experiences of sexual violence, and especially not to adults or authorities. What is particularly alarming is that a large proportion of the respondents in surveys say that they did not feel that online sexual violence was serious. Children either do not recognise what has happened as a criminal offence or sexual violence online is already commonplace for them. This should not be the case.

However, online sexual violence can have serious consequences. Studies have shown that online sexual violence is just as harmful as physical violence taking place in the same space. Those who have encountered online sexual violence report and have been found to have experienced feelings such as shame, guilt and fear, post-traumatic stress symptoms, risky behaviour, self-esteem problems, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, problems in social relationships and difficulties in sexuality. Being aware that sexual images of oneself can spread online can be traumatising in itself. Children who have been subjected to online sexual violence also need adequate and timely support to process the experience. However, with the help of psychological support, it is possible to cope with and recover from sexual violence. 

Children have the right to be informed about what constitutes an activity that violates their personal boundaries. It is important to tell them that they have the right not to respond to inquiries coming from strangers, not to take on challenges and not to do anything that feels uncomfortable or wrong to them, even online. In addition, a child’s parents should agree in advance with the child on an operating model for situations where something is pressing the child’s mind but where the child feels it difficult to bring up the matter with a parent. A child may also be upset by something that has happened to a friend, because if a child tells someone about the sexual violence they have experienced, they usually do it to their friend, according to studies. 

Protect children from harmful online content

• As a parent, you should be interested in your children’s use of digital devices and discuss it with them. 
• A good way to help a child with this is, for example, to give them a stack of sticky notes and agree with them that if they have something that weighs on their mind and that is difficult to bring up, they can put a sticky note on the fridge door, for example. This is a sign to you that you should be prepared for a discussion and create a safe space for it. 
• Instruct children and young people in the safe use of digital devices. Do this according to their age and level of development. National Cyber Security Centre Finland, among others, has compiled and created materials related to data security, intended for children, parents and educators (Children’s data security skills | National Cyber Security Centre). 
• Arrange meaningful activities not related to digital devices for children and young people. Doing things together creates a healthy and safe sense of community spirit and belonging together. 
• The age limits for social media, games and applications must be followed. 
• You can agree within the family that the children do not take their phones behind closed doors into bedrooms or toilets. You can also leave the phones of all family members on a break overnight, for example, in the kitchen or living room. For this purpose, Protect Children and DNA have developed the Phone Parking Lot (Phone Parking Lot (in Finnish)). 
• Take advantage of the technical solutions provided by your own telecom operator to filter age-appropriate content for children. You can use these solutions for issues such as setting time limits for the use of the internet, preventing harmful content from being seen by your child, and influencing which apps your child can use. 
• Tell your child about consent and its significance in relationships. Asking for consent should be made a normal part of interaction, and children and young people should be instructed on how to ask for consent from another person. 

More information and support for parents

• Services by SOS Children’s Village to support parenting (Help for parenting (in Finnish) - SOS Children’s Village )
• Huippula service by Save the Children for children, young people and adults: what every parent should know about the dangers of the internet (Who protects your child online? — Huippula)
• Guide by Protect Children for parents on digital safety skills (Guide for parents on digital security skills: “More than just a device” (in Finnish))
• Take It Down: A free service that can help prevent or remove online sharing of partially or fully nude and/or sexual images or videos of people under the age of 18 (Take It Down)