Sexual eSafety has traditionally been taught from an abstinence perspective, if at all. Children and teens are told, “just don’t watch porn, send nudes, talk to strangers”. Our practice evidence shows that children and teens have little understand of why they are being taught this and even what is meant by the terms “porn”, “nudes” or “strangers”, leaving them vulnerable to sexual exploitation but holding the belief that if they are victimised, they are complicit for not taking an abstinence approach.
Body Safety Australia works with children from 3 to 18 in the prevention of sexual violence and exploitation on and offline and has co-designed prevention education approaches that are inclusive of students from marginalised communities including migrant and refugee, LGBTIQA+ First Nations and who experience neurodiversity.
This presentation examines both the prevention and identification of online sexual exploitation by adults of children, and peer-based online sexual harassment and assault including non-consensual taking and sharing of nudes and using AI technologies to create deep fakes.
It also looks at how boys are radicalised online by social media algorithms that feed them a steady “manosphere” diet that consequently influences their behaviour towards girls.
Finally, Deanne Carson examines how shame and blame are barriers to help-seeking that compound negative mental health outcomes for children and young people.