Supporting Youth in a Digital World: Understanding Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence
From the DARCC Education Department
Young people are growing up in a world where friendship, dating, identity, and community often unfold through a screen. Digital spaces can offer connection and support. They can also create new pathways for harm, especially when sexual harassment, coercion, or exploitation is carried out through technology.
This is where technology-facilitated sexual violence comes in. It describes sexual harm that is carried out, assisted, or amplified through phones, apps, social media, messaging, gaming platforms, and other digital tools (Pietsch, 2023). The International Center for Research on Women describes technology-facilitated gender-based violence as a spectrum that can include sexual harassment, stalking, bullying, defamation, and exploitation, with real impacts that often cross into offline life (Hinson et al., 2018).
What This Can Look Like for Youth
Technology-facilitated sexual violence can take many forms, including:
Coercive sexting, such as pressure, repeated requests, manipulation, or intimidation to send sexual images or messages (Pietsch, 2023).
Non-consensual sharing of intimate images or videos, including forwarding or posting content without permission (Pietsch, 2023; Hinson et al., 2018).
Threats to leak images, sometimes used to control, humiliate, or force compliance (Pietsch, 2023).
Deepfakes and altered sexual images, including AI-generated sexual content created without consent (UN Women, 2025).
Impersonation, such as fake accounts or identity misuse used to harass, solicit images, or damage reputations (UN Women, 2025).
Location-based harassment, including tracking and intimidation enabled through digital features (Hinson et al., 2018).
For young people, these experiences can feel all-consuming because the harm can spread quickly, feel permanent, and follow them into school, friendships, and daily life (Pietsch, 2023).
Why This Is Common and Confusing for Youth
Youth often hesitate to disclose digital harm because they fear being blamed, shamed, or punished. Many worry an adult will respond by taking away a phone or restricting access, which can feel like losing their social world (Pietsch, 2023). UNICEF also emphasizes that children face serious risks online, including technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse, and that perpetrators may attempt to build trust before manipulating a child into sharing sexual content (UNICEF, 2026). Rapid shifts in technology and AI are also changing how abuse occurs and how quickly it can escalate (Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 2025).
Research suggests some young people may face higher risk and greater mental health impacts depending on identity and social context. Studies examining sexual and gender minority youth highlight disproportionate targeting and the protective role of digital resilience (Amadori & Brighi, 2025).
How Adults Can Respond in a Way That Builds Safety
You do not need to be an expert on every platform to be a safe adult. What matters most is the response.
Choose curiosity over shame.
Open-ended questions and a steady tone help young people keep talking (Pietsch, 2023).
Choose safety over punishment.
Punitive reactions can shut down future disclosure. Focus first on support, safety planning, and options (Pietsch, 2023; UNICEF, 2026).
Name consent clearly in digital spaces.
Consent applies to sending, saving, sharing, posting, pressuring, and threatening. Digital harm is still harm (Hinson et al., 2018; UN Women, 2025).
Keep it ongoing.
Brief, consistent check-ins build trust and reduce secrecy over time (Pietsch, 2023).
Join Us February 25
To go deeper and gain practical tools for supporting youth, join DARCC’s February Lunch and Learn with Q. Olivia Rivers on February 25, 2026:
Let’s Talk About Sext: Technology Facilitated Sexual Violence
Presentation goals include:
Reviewing the most popular social media apps, language, and emojis used by youth
Identifying strategies aimed at preventing online sexual violence
Providing resources to support efforts to protect youth and raise digitally empowered humans
We hope you will join us as we work together to strengthen safety for young people, online and offline! Click here to register.
Sources:
Amadori, A., & Brighi, A. (2025). Technology-facilitated sexual violence among sexual and gender minority youth: The moderating role of digital resilience. Computers in Human Behavior, 166, 108576.
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. (2025, December 11). Child sexual exploitation and abuse online surges amid rapid tech change; new tool for preventing abuse unveiled for path forward.
Hinson, L., Mueller, J., O’Brien-Milne, L., & Wandera, N. (2018). Technology-facilitated gender-based violence: What is it, and how do we measure it? International Center for Research on Women.
Pietsch, N. (2023, March). Supporting youth experiencing technology-facilitated sexual violence (Learning Network Issue 39). Learning Network, Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children.
UN Women. (2025, November 13). FAQs: Digital abuse, trolling, stalking, and other forms of technology-facilitated violence against women.
UNICEF. (2026). Keeping children safe online.