Against sexual cyberbullying of minors

'At any given moment, 750,000 adults are searching the Internet how to contact a child or teenager for sexual abuse, and 42% have received unwanted messages of a sexual nature.' This is the stark reality, according to Nuria Lorenzo Dus, a distinguished researcher at the Universitat Politècnica de València and head of the PRECISIÓN Project, which works on prevention through the language of cyber sexual violence against children and adolescents.

The figures are overwhelming and show the complexity of this situation. In Spain, one in three minors affected by cyberbullying did not share it with anyone, and 75% never told their parents. A large proportion of cybercrime involves sexual offences against minors, reaching 71.4%, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior (2021).

Manipulation through language

Through an analysis of communication in situations of online harassment, this research has concluded that behind many cases of abuse, there is a process of manipulation through language by the predator. 'It is important to recognise the patterns of communication that are established because it allows us to work on prevention and help professionals,' explained Lorenzo-Dus, professor of English linguistics.

The manipulation carried out by the predator does not always begin with explicit sexual content but focuses on building trust and friendship to manipulate the child. "That is why detailed knowledge of these manipulation processes is needed to enable minors and those around them to realise what is happening before it happens and they are harmed," explained Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, who also stated that "children and teens use social media to interact on a socio-emotional and sexual level, and this is normal; it does not have to be problematic a priori".

Given this alarming situation, the researcher Nuria Lorenzo-Dus believes that "it is a problem for everyone, including schools, educators, parents, governments, and technology companies. And we must not forget that, in order to find solutions, we must always consider the opinions of children and adolescents".

PRECISIÓN Toolkit

To help professionals and parents prevent sexual cyberviolence, the PRECISIÓN project is developing a set of digital materials that will enable all stakeholders to understand the process of manipulation and detect it at an early stage, as well as to support them once the crime has been committed.

This project benefits from the participation of international experts committed to child protection. It has partners in Argentina, Australia, Colombia, Finland, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Kenya, and New Zealand.

Sexual cyberbullying of minors in figures

Since 2019, cases of digital transmission of child sexual abuse material have increased by 87% (WeProtect Global Alliance, 2023).

In Spain, since 2017, cyberbullying of minors has increased by 52.2%, according to data from the ANAR Foundation (2024).

In the Valencian Community, victims of digital transmission of child sexual abuse material increased during the period 2020-21: 50% boys and 83.3% girls (the highest increase in Spain during that period) (ANAR Foundation, 2024).

From Swansea University to the UPV

After more than 20 years in the United Kingdom as a professor of English linguistics and researcher at Swansea University, Wales, Nuria Lorenzo-Dus arrived at the UPV a few months ago as a distinguished researcher through the ATRAE Programme, which aims to attract and retain excellent researchers with experience in foreign countries.

"I have never lost touch with collaboration in Spain or the UPV. Research in Spain is excellent and cutting-edge. One of the things I like most is the interdisciplinary nature and the possibility of sharing problems and seeking solutions with colleagues from Computer Science or other sciences. This is something that is done very well here," said Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, who was born in Valencia and is returning to her hometown to continue her research in the field of linguistics and the prevention of cyberbullying of minors.

Reference

The communicative modus operandi of online child sexual groomers: Recurring patterns in their language use