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By Suzanne Blake
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A whopping one in five preteens aged 9-12 have had an online sexual interaction with someone they believed to be an adult, according to a report from anti-human trafficking organization Thorn.
Minors were at risk of sexual exploitation from various forces: online, in-person and even from each other.
"This age group has access to the internet and exposure for the first time on their own. At this age, laptops and other devices are expected for use at schools so they have almost constant access to the internet and the online channels that predators use to target victims," Katherine Haller Danley, a licensed clinical social worker with Thriveworks in Tampa, told Newsweek.
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The survey, which spanned more than 1,000 children aged 9 to 17, found sextortion was a substantial concern among minors, with one in 17 having experienced a threat to leak explicit sexual images of themselves if they don't give into demands.
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The rise of AI-influenced deepfakes is also becoming more popular among children themselves, with one in 10 minors admitting they know a friend or classmate who has created AI-produced deep-fake nudes of other children.
"The fact that 1 in 10 minors report their peers are using AI to generate nudes of other kids is alarming and highlights how quickly online risks are evolving," Julie Cordua, CEO of Thorn, said in a statement. "This emerging form of abuse creates a potent threat to children's safety and well-being. We must act swiftly to develop safeguards, educate young people about the dangers of deepfakes, and empower parents to have open conversations with their children about these risks."
The platforms that were the most prominent for teens' online sexual experiences were Snapchat, Instagram, Messenger, Facebook, TikTok and Omegle.
"Adolescents and preteens may not always listen to their parents about the risks of online predators," Haller Danley said.
"They also may not want to be supervised with their usage. Other times these youths may not have the most supportive relationships with parents or be victims of familial abuse...Society needs to step up in other ways to get the message across to our youth about the dangers of being victimized online."
However, these online sexual interactions are often kept secret and never mentioned to friends or family. One in six minors who had an online sexual interaction said they didn't tell anyone.
The consequences of rising sexual exploitation among preteens is not unnoticeable.
The youth suicide rate has been increasing in recent years, with the number of children ages 8 to 12 who died by suicide soaring by 8 percent a year since 2008. That group was disproportionately girls, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Because preteens are starting to develop sexually, they naturally have curiosities about sexual experiences, making them especially vulnerable to predators on the internet, Haller Danley said.
Still, the typical online predator could present very differently from a child molester, she said.
"They are more so looking for adoration and a sense of sexual control over their victims," Haller Danley added. "They may be attempting to relive adolescent experiences and the excitement of seducing adolescent youth."
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