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Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9437-4617

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction: Online child sexual abuse has been described as a serious public health issue worldwide in today’s society. The long-term consequences of such abuse have been well-reported, and the risks in which youth are made more vulnerable to this abuse must be better understood.

Objective: To synthesise and evaluate the literature regarding risk factors of online sexual exploitation by focusing on the following question: What are the risk factors that make children vulnerable to online child sexual abuse and solicitation?

Method: A systematic review was completed using search strings within several databases, a hand search was conducted, and results were removed based on the title, abstract and then full paper.

Results: The final review consisted of seventeen papers, and a quality assessment was carried out. The findings highlighted several risk factors for online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Those at risk included: females, those of older age, those who engaged in risky online behaviours, those who frequently used the internet or chatrooms and online messengers, those experiencing psychological and psychosocial difficulties, and prior exposure to adverse experiences.

Conclusion: The limitations of the study included not being able to generalise the results due to origin. There was room for bias within the studies analysed as a number of them were self-report. This review highlights that parents, policymakers, and the education systems need to prepare children for the dangers of the internet and ensure there are adequate services in place if abuse occurs.

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