Children most at risk from peers, not abusers

Stranger danger and grooming by paedophiles are no longer the only cyber threats to children. Experts now say the most likely source of online sexual exploitation is a child’s own friends.

Child protection experts are now trying to prepare parents and schools to deal with the troubling realisation that their children may be not just be “at risk” but may be “a risk” because they are not only vulnerable to abuse but may be perpetuating it among their own peer group.

Anne-Marie McAlinden said ‘sexting’ — sending explicit images and messages by mobile — and the sharing of indecent images on social media was now so common, practiced by 40% of teenagers, that many saw no problem with it or how wrong it was to pressurise others to join in.