PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Newly released results from a 2020 study show a big increase in risky online behavior among kids between 9 and 12 years old. That includes sharing nude photos.
According to the study from the nonprofit Thorn one in seven kids in this preteen age group said they have shared nude photos. Just one year before, in 2019, the figure was one in 20.
One in five said it was normal for kids their age to do this. That's up from one in eight back in 2019.
Plus, among those surveyed between ages 9 and 17, half said that they sent nudes to someone they never even met in person, just someone they were talking to online. That is a 13% increase from the prior survey.
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The organization strongly suggests parents talk to their kids about their online safety and really just take control of the conversation.
One interesting suggestion is for parents to ask their kids for permission to post any pictures of them online — that Facebook "first day of school" picture, for example. The group says that will show kids that they do have ownership over their bodies and their images.
That 2019 study was Thorn's first dive into attitudes and behaviors around images created by kids that could be used to sexually exploit them. They surveyed 1,000 kids aged 9-17, as well as 400 caregivers, to look at the frequency of young people creating and sharing nude images of themselves and receiving or re-sharing such images of other young people.
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The findings indicated that sexting is becoming seen as "normal" among peers; coercion plays a central role, increasing the risk of exploitation; and attitudes of blame and shame can worsen the threat to young people, isolating them further.
The researchers acknowledge in their report that the 2020 survey was conducted at a time when the coronavirus pandemic had a major influence on online behaviors and relationships.
Thorn says they will continue to survey kids and caregivers every year to highlight trends and expand the body of research that can be used to protect kids from sexual exploitation.
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