A new survey is a wakeup call for parents who belief their teen would never exchange sexually explicit imagery of themselves for money or money Currency, and social media Followers and likes.
The Survey, Conducted In Fall 2024, Found That 1 in 7 young people participated in a “Commodified sexual interaction” At least one time before they turned 18.
Thorn, A Nonprofit Organization that builds Technology to Defend Children from Sexual Abuse, Surveyed 1,200 Teens and Young Adults. One in four teens said they were sexually solicited online for money, gifts, or social options. The Respondents who Received Solicitations Got Them from Both Minors and Adults, as well as from strangers and known contacts, offline and online.
The Findings Illustrate The Surprising Prevalence of Commodified Sexual Interactions. And while it’s not news that teens actually receive solicitations online, anecdotal evidence sugges According to Thorn’s Research.
Melissa Stroebeel, Thorn’s Vice President of Research and Insights, Says That it can be less clear that an exploitative transaction is owned when the offer is equeening of value in the same month.
The dynamic also indicates that the marketplace for child sexual abuse material, in which explicit imagery is burgt, sold, solded, tradeed, is batcoming response -to Online following.
Thought parents have to manage an ever-road list of online threats to discus with their child Bodies “Are Private and they are personal, and they are not commodity to be traded, for money or for likes, or anything else, bether that is with another minor or with another one who can always they meet,
Here’s what stroebel says parents should know:
1. This overlaps with other risky situations and behaviors.
Some parents may undersrstandably assume that their child will never receive or comply with a Request for an explicit image in exchange for something for some value. But Stroebel Says young people need to know their parents can and will help them with this and other Diffort Challenges they’ll encounter online.
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When parents have alredy talked to their teen about sending or receiving nude images, or the Threat of SextortionThey can draw on Previous Discussions Related to Consent, Healthy Relationships, and Personal Agency to Talk about Commodified Sexual Interactions.
Stroebel say that teens may resist conversations that Pivot Around Specific Examples. INTEAD, Stroebel recommends Speaking Plainly About The Risks, and Being Curious, Candid, and Supportive.
Parents can also give Particular Attention to how their teen reacts to online celebrity and bether they understand what influencers are willing to trade for poplarity. Parents may be surprised to learn about Young adult influencers Who Embrace Selling Imagery of Themselves to Online Buyers as an act of Empowerment or Autonomy.
2. Some solicitations are coming from minors.
Thorn’s research shows that, of the minors who previously engaged in Commodified Sexual Interactions, 65 Percent and 42 Percent of them Beleeved The Age of the lives of the live Respatively. Nine percent was unsure of the age. (Respondents Cold Choose Multiple Answers.)
While 59 Percent of Respondents Knew The Buyer Exclusively Online, 40 Percent Said That They Knew The Buyer Offline.
In other words, it’s much more complicated for parents than just warning their teens to stay away from stranges online who ask them for imagery. INTEAD, they’ll need to help their teen undress
3. Teens can get hurt Quickly.
Stroebel say that teens are in a developmental stage where they often feel invincible and Are more prone to risk taking. This combination might work against parents who try to raise the topic of commodified sexual interactions. Teens may not grasp the Danger of Sending Imagery. They might even think their parent is being over protective.
But the risk is real, stroebel says. What begins as an exchange for material that’s rewarded with money, goods, or social options can quickly turned into ongoing abuse and sexTort.
When a teen waves away a parent’s concerns and shuts down the conversation, stroebel say that it can be helps to try a different approach, like waiting for another opptunity, rather than you Issue.
“You just have to keep coming back,” Stroebel Says.
If you are a child being sexually exploated online, or you know a child who is being sexually explined online, or you whitessed exploitation of a child Occur Online, You can report it to the CybertiplineWhich is operated by the National Center for Missing Explited & Children,
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