This research report, funded by Nominet and carried out with Praesidio Safeguarding, explores effective methods to prevent the sharing of ‘self-generated’ child sexual abuse material among pre-teens.
Explore our key findings and full report below.
The research began with a review of existing literature and messaging. Following this, we held panel discussions with 11-17-year-olds to gather their perspectives on the right preventative messaging.
Round 1 panels considered the effectiveness of existing prevention messages. Here’s what we found:
Many children said there were barriers in how they were taught about sexual image-sharing in school. They said that they received no specific education in relation to sexual image-sharing or only superficial coverage.
They also said whole-class, mixed gender lessons on the topic meant they struggled to contribute and share. Additionally, they said they currently learned about it too late.
All children agreed that messaging around healthy relationships and withstanding pressure negative attention was effective. However, there were some key distinctions by gender.
Girls felt that preventative messaging should focus more on harmful behaviour from perpetrators.
Boys showed preference towards messaging around the moral and legal consequences of pressuring and sharing nude images.
In Round 2, panels explored how to reach children with effective prevention messaging.
Children and young people said they wanted the opportunity to take part in discussions and interventions that focused on issues around sexual image-sharing. They said they wanted these sessions led by someone with confidence and expertise in the subject.
Panels were asked to suggest which delivery routes for educational messaging would be most effective. They were most supportive of discussion-based learning, learning through games and interventions on social media.
Finally, in Round 3, panels tested prototype interventions that combined refined gender-specific prevention messages and deployment methods. Overall, panels felt it important to use various interventions to reinforce the messaging in different contexts (e.g. in the classroom and on devices).
Children appreciated the single-sex RSHE lesson. They liked learning in smaller groups that were split by gender. This allowed them more interactivity and discussion, which they enjoyed along with tailored messaging.
Children were very positive above the game, especially its interactivity and scenario-based format. They liked seeing the impacts of their decisions in different situations and having the ability to make decisions based on different perspectives. Lastly, they liked working independently and without judgement.
Children were positive about the nudge technique and recognised the benefits of having a barrier before sending an image. Most thought it would cause people to re-think their decision and highlight the seriousness of sending a nude image.
The IWF has reported an exponential increase in the volume of self-generated CSAM in recent years. In 2022, of the total 275,652 webpage actions, 92% were assessed as containing ‘self-generated’ imagery. This is a 27% increase in ‘self-generated’ reports from 2022, and a 561% increase from 2019.
This research supports the need for a wide range of tools and approaches when teaching children about sexual image-sharing. It highlights the need for tailored interventions and prevention messages by gender.
Explore the full study in the report below to see our guidance on improving prevention education in schools and on platforms.
