Living in the Era of Digital Exhibitionism

Abstract

Digitally mediated communication technologies have fundamentally changed the problem of child sexual abuse. Sexually explicit images of young people that can be found online range from those documenting offline abuse including adult-to-child and peer-on-peer violence, to self-generated images including those taken within the context of a coercive relationship or those that are shared online beyond the taker's control. Online availability of these images can have serious effects on victims. It is vital to identify what victims need, how youngsters are at risk online, how self-generated images may be shared online beyond the taker's control, and how children who have been traumatized by experiences of sexual abuse (offline as well as online) can be taught to stay safe online. This article summarizes the results of four different studies exploring these issues.

KEYWORDS:

• digital exhibitionism, CSAIO, child sexual abuse, self-generated images, sexting