Study to investigate sexual messaging between children and adults

A study has been commissioned to examine sexual communication between children and adults on direct messaging platforms, and how it can lead to exploitation.

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has been commissioned to carry out the research project by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

Researchers will conduct an anonymous online survey involving about 1,500 young people aged 12-18 across UK secondary schools.

Prof Samantha Lundrigan said the work was "vital" to try to prevent harmful behaviour.

The study will support the NSPCC's ongoing advocacy work with Ofcom and the government to help strengthen protections for children online.

It aims to explore the prevalence, nature and circumstances of sexual communication between children and adults through direct messaging platforms.

Lundrigan, who is director of ARU's International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI), said such platforms "can form a critical part of the pathways that lead to exploitation".

"[They] can provide perpetrators with direct access to children and young people, creating opportunities for grooming and other harmful behaviours," she said.

"By gathering and analysing robust evidence, we hope to deepen understanding of how these harms occur and, crucially, identify what can be done to prevent them."

Rani Govender, head of online safety at the NSPCC, told the BBC the charity was proud to partner with Cambridge and Chelmsford-based ARU on the "crucial research".

"We know offenders are exploiting private messaging services to contact and groom children at scale, which can have devastating consequences for children's safety and wellbeing long into their futures," they said.

"To effectively prevent this abuse, we need to listen to young people and better understand how harm occurs in private messaging spaces.

"Their experiences are essential to shaping solutions that keep children safe online, and we look forward to learning from them in this research to drive safer standards in private messaging."

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ARU: International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute