The Internet and its Consequences for Child Sexual Abuse Victims
Open Access
Author:
Roitman, Margalit
Area of Honors:
Human Development and Family Studies
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Jennie G Noll, Thesis Supervisor Alyssa Ann Gamaldo, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Internet Child Maltretment Child Sexual Abuse Pornography Risky Sexual Activity Online Sexual Soliciatation Cyberbullying Meeting up with Strangers
Abstract:
The internet is a new but sweeping aspect of our daily lives. With the newest generation of children and adolescents being the first to have access to the internet throughout the entire duration of their lives, it is critical to study potential outcomes that result from internet use. Within the population of children, it is crucial to examine how vulnerable populations such victims of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) are impacted by the internet. To do this we examined how high levels of pornography consumption and high levels of social media use increased the odds for risky sexual activity, online sexual solicitations, meeting a stranger offline, and being cyberbullied. We then compared this with CSA as a predictor of these outcomes. We found that high levels of pornography and social media use were associated with some risky outcomes, but CSA was a stronger predictor of these outcomes. The finding suggests that the internet is associated with harmful outcomes, but CSA is more of a risk factor, therefore both need to be addressed when ensuring the safety of children.
