Understanding Risk, Barriers and Facilitators to Reporting Technology Assisted Child Sexual Abuse

A large number of determined predators are trawling through online platforms that children use, hunting for particular online behaviours or particular responses from the many approaches they make to children. Technology Assisted Child Sexual Abuse (TACSA) victims are often already victims of other types of abuse. Known risk factors include being isolated, having depressive symptoms, low self-esteem, a minority sexual identity, being neglected, or being known to child protection services. Problematic peer influence, family disfunction or a poor connection with parents and carers can exacerbate the risk. But it is clear that all children and young people are at risk, and it is unclear that educative interventions with children have a significant impact. Children and young people rarely disclose TACSA because of shame, fear of abusive images being distributed, or a lack of understanding of the abuse. Disclosure of TACSA is more likely when children have trust in significant adults but disclosure rates are very low regardless; victims are more likely to disclose to peers. The primary recommendation from this review is to hold online platforms to account for an environment in which abusers can easily engage with children using fictitious online profiles, safe in the knowledge that their grooming activities are protected by end-to-end data encryption. The full implementation, regulation and enforcement of Online Safety Act, 2023 would be a welcome step forward.