Social Media Used to Facilitate Sexual Assault in Children, Study Finds

Social media offers benefits for teens but also can be used as a tool by predators online, according to research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2024 National Conference & Exhibition

ORLANDO, Fla.— About 7% of more than 1,000 teens who disclosed sexual abuse at a California hospital reported that social media was used to facilitate the assault, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2024 National Conference & Exhibition.

The retrospective study, “Social Media Facilitated Sexual Assault in Children,” found that, when accounting only for victims whose perpetrators were not related to them, an even higher percentage – 12%-- reported that social media facilitated sexual assault. The authors will present their preliminary findings during the conference at the Orlando Convention Center Sept. 27-Oct. 1.

“Adolescents are increasingly living their lives in digital spaces,” said Miguel Cano, MD, a child abuse pediatrician and author of the research. “Although there are benefits to the use of social media such as connecting with people and keeping in touch with family and friends across the globe, there are many well documented dangers as well.”

The researchers evaluated children 10 to 18 years of age who disclosed sexual abuse at Rady Children’s Hospital Chadwick Center for Children and Families between 2018 and 2023. They defined “social media facilitated sexual assault” as occurring when social media is used for communication between a victim and perpetrator that leads to sexual assault.

Dangers include meeting strangers online or being subjected to various forms of maltreatment including emotional abuse, cyber bullying, harassment, threats, exposure to sexual content, and being victims of online sexual abuse, according to the author.

Another emerging risk is “meeting” strangers virtually and then planning to meet face to face, which can often result in dangerous situations, and can at times unfortunately result in sexual abuse, according to the abstract.

Instagram and Snapchat were the two most commonly reported social media platforms used, however, multiple platforms were reported. The average age of patients was 13 years old, and 89% were female. The patient was related to the perpetrator 60% of the time. About 80% of perpetrators were adult men.

“With few oversights and regulations, parents, pediatricians, and anyone who cares for children need to understand this danger and need better tools and resources to help keep children safe from predators on social media,” Dr. Cano said. 
Media Relations Contact:

Study author Dr. Cano, is scheduled to present his research, which is below, from 1:50-2pm on 10/27/24. To request an interview with the authors, contact Natalie Laub at [email protected] or (619) 288-9582

Please note: only the abstract is being presented at the meeting. In some cases, the researcher may have more data available to share with media, or may be preparing a longer article for submission to a journal.  

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org. Reporters can access the meeting program and other relevant meeting information through the AAP meeting website at http://www.aapexperience.org/

Abstract

Program Name: 2024 AAP National Conference-Abstracts

Submission Type: Council on Child Abuse and Neglect

Abstract Title: Social Media Facilitated Sexual Assaults in Children

Natalie Laub and Miguel Cano
San Diego, CA, United States

With the popularity of social media (SM) amongst children and adolescents, the dangers of online platforms are becoming more evident, including meeting sexual predators. Social media facilitated sexual assault (SMFSA) occurs when social media facilitates communication between a victim and perpetrator that leads to a sexual assault. While prior literature suggests technology can play a role in facilitating sexual assaults, there is no specific literature on the prevalence of child sexual abuse victims who report meeting their perpetrator via social media platforms such as Instagram. Thus our objectives were to 1) identify the prevalence of child sexual abuse victims who disclosed meeting their perpetrator on social media, and 2) identify which SM platforms were reported most frequently.

This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of children 10 to 18 years of age who disclosed sexual abuse at Rady Children’s Hospital Chadwick Center for Children and Families between 2018-2023. Data was collected in RedCAP and analyzed via Stata using descriptive statistics and Chi Squared/Fisher’s exact
Of the 1062 patients included, the mean age was 13 years (SD 1.9), 89% were female, 36% White, and 19% Hispanic. The patient was related to alleged perpetrator 60% of the time. 80% of perpetrators were adult men. In the total population 7% reported SM was used to facilitate the sexual assault. When accounting only for victims with non-related perpetrators, there was a statistically significant increase in SMFSA at 12% (P value < 0.0001). Snapchat followed by Instagram were the most common platforms used. There was no statistical significance in acquisition of sexually transmitted disease or physical injury between the two groups.
Social media platforms are being used to facilitate sexual assault in children between the ages of 10-18 years. Instagram and Snapchat are the two most common reported social media platforms. Further research is needed to understand how to keep children safe from predators on social media.