Parents’ perceptions
of their children’s
exposure to online
sexual harms
A study of parents/
guardians in Latin America
and Sub-Saharan Africa
CONDUCTED BY
PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN’S EXPOSURE TO ONLINE SEXUAL HARMS:
A STUDY OF PARENTS/GUARDIANS IN LATIN AMERICA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Introduction
Economist Impact surveyed more than 1000 parents/guardians • Receiving a message and/or content that is potentially
of children under the age of 18 across eight countries in Latin linked to a dangerous or harmful source
America and Sub-Saharan Africa.1 The study aims to understand
• Someone sharing their child’s images, videos and/or messages
both how children are engaging with their parents to stay safer
with someone else when their child did not want them to
online and the changes that parents believe need to occur to
protect children against child sexual exploitation and abuse online. • Someone asking their child to keep a part
of their online interactions a secret
The survey asked respondents about their children’s
exposure to online sexual harms, how they responded to • Someone asking their child to do something
this exposure and the challenges that parents/guardians online that made their child feel uncomfortable
face in helping to protect their children online. Questions or that their child did not want to do
centred on five potential online sexual harms:2 • Someone trying to talk to their child about
sexually explicit topics or send their sexually
explicit images, videos or messages online
The key findings of this research are presented throughout.
Methodology
This study is based on data gathered through an online survey
of 1,029 parents and guardians of children ages 0 to 17
conducted from June to July 2023. The respondents were equally
split across genders with natural fallout across age, income
and ethnicity/race. The results are statistically significant.
1 Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.
2 A set of harmful behaviours that can be considered online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN’S EXPOSURE TO ONLINE SEXUAL HARMS:
A STUDY OF PARENTS/GUARDIANS IN LATIN AMERICA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Key Findings
According to their parents, over half of children have
access to the internet through a personal mobile device.
Personal mobile device Personal laptop computer Personal tablet
55% 35% 33%
Percentage of respondents who said their child had regular access to the internet through each
type of device. Regular access to the internet is defined as going online at least once a week.
Overall, 55% of respondents said their child/children had spoken
to them about experiencing a potential online sexual harm.
31% 19% 17% 16% 14%
Received a message Someone shared their Someone asked Someone asked them Someone tried to talk
and/or content that images, videos and/ them to keep a to do something online to them about sexually
is potentially linked or messages with part of their online that made them feel explicit topics or send
to a dangerous or someone else when they interactions a secret uncomfortable or that them sexually explicit
harmful source did not want them to they did not want to do images, videos or
messages online
Percentage of respondents who said their child had spoken to them
about experiencing one of the online sexual harms considered.
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PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN’S EXPOSURE TO ONLINE SEXUAL HARMS:
A STUDY OF PARENTS/GUARDIANS IN LATIN AMERICA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
This was more common among parents in
Sub-Saharan Africa than parents in Latin America.
Latin America
15% 16% 16% 12%
Tried to talk to them
Someone shared Were asked to keep their Asked to do something
about sexually
their images interactions a secret they didn’t want to do
explicit topics
Sub-Saharan Africa
22% 19% 15% 17%
Percentage of respondents who said their child had spoken to them
about experiencing each online sexual harm considered by region.
Overall, 50% of parents/guardians said that their children told them about
experiencing an online sexual harm when they were under the age of nine.
Before the age of 9 years old 50%
9 to 12 years old 31%
13 to 15 years old 22%
16 to 18 years old 5%
Of the respondents who said their child had spoken to
them about experiencing at least one online sexual harm
considered, the percentage that indicated their child’s
age at the time of disclosure (multiple selection)
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PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN’S EXPOSURE TO ONLINE SEXUAL HARMS:
A STUDY OF PARENTS/GUARDIANS IN LATIN AMERICA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Children were most likely to tell their parents about online
sexual harms perpetrated by someone they did not know.
Someone they didn’t know An adult they knew A peer they knew
60%
63%
56% 54%
49%
28% 39% 18% 18%
37%
40% 39%
28%
18%
15%
Overall Before 9 years 9 to 12 years 13 to 15 years 16 to 18 years
Of the respondents who said their child had spoken to them
about experiencing at least one online sexual harm considered
in the study, the percentage that selected each type of
person the child was interacting with (multiple selection).
For the purposes of this study, an adult or a peer the child knew
is defined as a person who the child had engaged with before,
either in person or through a previous online interaction.
Parents were most likely to block the person with whom their child
had these interactions or change their child’s privacy settings.
Took away and/or Reported to another
Deleted or blocked Changed privacy or Reported the Asked the person
removed access authority (e.g., law
the person contact settings problem online to end contact
to the device enforcement)
55% 50% 30% 22% 17% 13%
Of the respondents who said their child had spoken to them
about experiencing at least one online sexual harm considered,
the percentage that selected each action (multiple selection).
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PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN’S EXPOSURE TO ONLINE SEXUAL HARMS:
A STUDY OF PARENTS/GUARDIANS IN LATIN AMERICA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Parents felt/feel the biggest obstacle in supporting their children
when they experience an online sexual harm was/is children
not recognising that their experience is harmful.
Children often do not realise that they have had
46%
an interaction that could be harmful online
Children are often scared about how we might react to
learning about their experience so they do not tell parents/ 44%
guardians, and therefore they cannot help
Children often are afraid and/or embarrassed that the conversations, images
or videos that were part of the interaction will be seen by other people 38%
so they do not tell parents/guardians, and therefore they cannot help
Children often feel embarrassed or ashamed that this happened
to them or feel that they are responsible for the experience so they 37%
do not tell parents/guardians, and therefore they cannot help
Children often are afraid of the person with whom they were interacting
online (e.g., this person has threatened their family or their friends if they 34%
tell) so they do not tell parents/guardians, and therefore they cannot help
Children are often afraid that their friends might ostracise them or
make fun of them if they have undergone such experiences so they 31%
do not tell parents/guardians, and therefore they cannot help
Percentage of all respondents who selected the barrier (multiple selection).
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PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN’S EXPOSURE TO ONLINE SEXUAL HARMS:
A STUDY OF PARENTS/GUARDIANS IN LATIN AMERICA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
One in two parents/guardians do not think social media and gaming
platforms are doing enough to keep children safe online.
Agree
41% 33% 48% 41%
Governments are doing as Social media/gaming platforms Device producers are doing Law enforcement are doing
much as they can to keep are doing as much as they can as much as they can to as much as they can to
children safe online to keep children safe online keep children safe online keep children safe online
38% 49% 32% 39%
Disagree
Percentage of all respondents. Agree is an aggregate
of “agree” and “strongly agree”. Disagree is an
aggregate of “disagree” and “strongly disagree”.
...and, as a result, nearly two-thirds of parents feel that the
responsibility to keep children safe online falls to them.
67%
9%
5% 4% 4% 4%
Parents/guardians Social media/ Device producers Law enforcement National government Schools and colleges
gaming platforms
Percentage of all respondents who ranked each stakeholder group
first as having the responsibility for keeping children safe online.
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PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR CHILDREN’S EXPOSURE TO ONLINE SEXUAL HARMS:
A STUDY OF PARENTS/GUARDIANS IN LATIN AMERICA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Conclusion
In 2021, Economist Impact conducted a global study that that one of the biggest barriers parents face in supporting
surveyed over 5,000 18 to 20 year olds on their childhood their children through an experience of online sexual harm
experiences of four of the online sexual harms considered is that children are often scared about how they might react
in this 2023 study of parents and guardians. Reported to learning about their experience so they do not disclose.
rates of experience of these online sexual harms were
Despite these gaps between levels of experience of online sexual
much higher in the survey of over 5,000 18 to 20 year olds
harms during childhood and disclosure to parents, it is clear that
than in the survey of parents and guardians: an average
experiences of online sexual harms during childhood are high and
of 29% across the four harms compared with 17%.
many parents feel responsible for their children’s safety online.
There are two likely explanations for this gap. Firstly, more This feeling of responsibility is being driven by the belief that many
incidents of online sexual harms occur when children are stakeholders are not doing enough to keep children safe online.
teenagers than when they are younger, but younger children Although parents are part of the solution to protect children
are more likely to report these incidents to their parents than online, they should not feel that the burden falls entirely on them.
teenagers are (see figure below). Secondly, many children are
Very few parents have had the opportunity to engage directly
afraid to tell their parents about their experiences of online
with government, social media and gaming platforms, device
sexual harms. This hesitancy to disclose can be a result of many
producers and law enforcement to understand how they are
factors such as fear of how their parents/guardians might react
working to protect children. A more coordinated approach
to embarrassment to threats from the perpetrator. Parents
that integrates parents and youth could help develop more
are aware of this hesitancy to disclose: 44% of them thought
effective, comprehensive prevention mechanisms.
18 year olds’ experiences 18 year olds’ experiences of someone Age at which children told
of someone trying to speak asking them to do something sexually parents about their experiences
about sexually explicit topics explicit online that made them of online sexual harms (Latin
during childhood (Globally) uncomfortable during childhood (Globally) America & Sub-Saharan Africa)
100% Age at which respondents
who had experienced
80% online sexual harms during
childhood or whose children
experienced online sexual
60% harms during childhood had
these experiences, %.
40%
20%
0%
Before 9 years 9 to 12 years 13 to 15 years 16 to 18 years
Notes: The data for this figure is drawn from a 2023 WeProtect Global Alliance
study, conducted by Economist Impact, that surveyed 2,000 18 year olds in
France, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland about their experiences of online
sexual harms during childhood. To see the study, please visit here.
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While every effort has been taken to verify the accuracy of this
information, Economist Impact cannot accept any responsibility or liability
for reliance by any person on this report or any of the information, opinions
or conclusions set out in this report. The findings and views expressed in
the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor.
