A Shocking 16 Of Kids Have Suffered Online Sexual Abuse

A study has lifted the lid on online child sex abuse in modern-day America, showing that nearly 16 percent of minors have been pressured into everything from sexting to taking sexual photos of themselves and sharing them over the internet.
Research from the University of in Durham shows significantly higher rates of online child abuse than were uncovered by past studies, which indicated rates of between 5-12 percent.
As well as worrying numbers of children being groomed online by adult predators (5.4 percent), the study also revealed other types of abuse — such as non-consensual sexting and revenge porn — linked to peers and even dating partners.
It comes amid revelations of adults, including teachers, in New York, , and , abusing children via the internet, and of youths being coerced into depraved acts by groomers on online games like .
Speaking with DailyMail.com, child safety expert David Finkelhor, who led the research, said the findings should sound alarm bells and prompt parents to guide children about online safety and healthy relationships.

A University of New Hampshire in Durham study has revealed that 15.6 percent of children have experienced online sexual abuse — some 11.5 million youths
David Finkelhor, a child safety expert at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, calls kids the 'most crime victimized demographic'
'They need to know some of the signs about which partners and friends are trustworthy,' said Finkelhor, a sociologist who heads the college's Crimes Against Children Center.
'They need to know the kinds of manipulations that can lead them into intimacy that they may regret. They need to know why relationships with older partners are illegal and porno don't work out.'
For his study, Finkelhor asked 2,639 participants aged 18 to 28 about their online experiences when they were aged under 19, focussing on 11 types of online sexual abuse. They broadly reflected the demographics of contemporary America.
It revealed a 'considerable portion' of 15.6 percent had experienced online sexual abuse — which amounts to 11.5 million children.
The most common abuse involved the sharing of sexual images, which 11 percent of participants had experienced. Some 7.2 percent had shared a photo of themselves that was then shared with others, without their consent.
Other all-too-common types of abuse included revenge pornography, which impacted 3.1 percent of children, and sextortion — or being threatened into sharing sexual images — which affected 3.5 percent.
Jonathan High, 30, a church deacon of Steinhatchee, Florida, was convicted this month of making and sharing video recordings of two young boys in a church bathroom
Natalie Black, 27, a teacher in Queens, New York, who allegedly sent naked photos of herself to students, after winning an award for excellence in 2017
The study concluded that the types of abuse were 'diverse' and were 'often extensions of dating abuse, sexual bullying, and sexual harassment, not only events perpetrated by adult internet predators.'
Finkelhor said child protection experts would likely not be 'surprised at the magnitude' of the results. While previous studies had indicated lower rates of abuse, it was difficult to compare different studies.
Still, he added that 'children are the most crime victimized demographic' and the research showed a 'changing environment' in worrying online behavior involving youths 'that needs our attention'.
The study comes in the wake of a series of online child sexual abuse scandals, including Jeffrey Pierce, a former teacher and basketball coach of Topeka, Kansas, who for 30 years last month.
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The 42-year-old impersonated a girl on various social media platforms and trinaked photos of herself to students.
The risks of online gaming have also become apparent. A horrified father in Australia this week how his 12-year-old son was coerced into sending sexual images to a gamer he met while playing Fortnite.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, incidents of child sexual abuse occur every nine minutes. Sufferers of abuse can