Digital Sexuality and Digital Sexualized Violence in Childhood and Youths: Evidence from Three Biographical Case Studies

This article examines children’s digital sexuality and the associated risks of digital sexualized violence through three biographical case studies. Drawing on the theoretical notion of the childhood gaze, it investigates how young people, in biographical interviews, construct digital spaces as arenas of sexual agency that are largely hidden from adult control. Against the backdrop of insufficient child protection measures online, these experiences include digital sexualized violence, which the interviewed young people primarily attempted to address through peer-supported coping strategies. In conclusion, the article highlights young people’s struggles with a generational gap in digital literacy that leaves parents and educators ill-equipped to effectively safeguard children against digital sexualized violence.