What is child-on-child abuse?
Child-on-child abuse is when one child or young person causes harm to another. It can look like a lot of different things. These are some of them:
- Bullying and cyberbullying
- Harming someone in a friendship or other relationship
- Physical abuse
- Sexual violence and sexual harassment
- Sharing naked and partly naked images
- Causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent
- Upskirting (taking a photo under someone’s clothing without their permission)
- Initiation/hazing type violence and other illegal activities
Tips for children and young people for how to deal with child-on-child abuse
Promote positivity online and off
From the comments you make on social media to how you interact with people in video games, positive interactions help people feel happy and safe online. That also means calling out or reporting behaviour that isn’t so positive.
Know what healthy behaviours look like
Healthy behaviours make people feel good about themselves. And they make you feel good about yourself too. Support people online by following, liking, commenting nice messages and playing video games together.
Stay in the know
Recognise what child-on-child abuse looks like so you can help stop it from happening. Anything that makes another young person feel uncomfortable or unsafe because of another young person could be child-on-child abuse.
Create a safety net on your devices
All smartphones and apps have their own privacy and security settings. With a trusted adult, set these up to help you feel safe online.
Speak out
You have a powerful voice that can put an end to anything that makes you or someone else feel unsafe or uncomfortable. Some people worry that no one will listen or that it will only make it worse, but keeping silent will make sure nothing ever gets better. So make sure you report everything — big or small — and keep reporting it. Tell a trusted adult like a parent, carer or teacher. Or, if you don’t feel comfortable talking to someone you know, you can call/text/message services like Childline and The Mix to speak with someone anonymous.