This piece is part of a collection of works commissioned by WeProtect Global Alliance to amplify youth voices at their 2024 global summit.

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The advent of new social media apps and the metaverse creates a whole new world that our youth participate in, and that they can hide away in. However, this world comes with many dangers. Abusers and predators are a common problem in many internet spaces and pose a very real threat to young people, as shown by the many tragic cases of both children and teens who have had their childhoods robbed, or worse. In these times, it is increasingly important to consider: how can young people be protected? How do leaders and decision-makers ensure that they are safe? 

It is with this concern in mind that many social media platforms have started rolling out stricter community guidelines. Yet the World Wide Web is a vast place. For every guideline and restriction imposed on a single site, there are thousands of chatrooms and other messaging sites with no such restrictions. We have also learnt that these guidelines are not foolproof, with abusers constantly finding new avenues to contact their victims. Hence I posit that beyond just imposing these guidelines, it is essential to have multiple levels of safeguarding: besides through these platforms, we must also have levels of protection by parents, schools and external organisations. If by any chance a child falls through a crack in any of these layers, there is always another layer to protect them. Due to their large and widespread influence on us, I believe that schools and external organisations are a particularly crucial layer of defense.

Firstly, the education they provide helps to prevent these situations from occurring. It’s not always guaranteed that parents are involved in a child's life in a healthy way. Many children seek education and support elsewhere, often turning to online spaces that are easily accessible with just the press of a button on a pocket-sized device. It is during these times when they are most vulnerable, with no guiding figure to help them sense and stay away from danger. 

Hence, I urge schools and external organisations such as community centres and outreach programs to facilitate their own programs for educating youth on how to navigate the internet and online relationships safely. This ties into sex and relationship education, which I believe is pivotal in empowering young people to keep themselves safe. It has been proven that abstinence only education is not effective- shielding our children from the reality of sex and relationships. In fact, it might only isolate them from guiding figures as they find this information from other sources like the internet, or worse, leaves them vulnerable to predators who will take advantage of their naivete to exploit and harass them. If you shy away from properly educating us, young people may not be equipped with the appropriate vocabulary to understand and to express to a trusted adult the harms they may be facing. Hence, providing young people with age-appropriate and comprehensive knowledge on sex, relationships and abuse is paramount in protecting them from sexual predators and ensuring that they are vigilant against these threats.

Secondly, these organisations should provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere that is free from stigma or shame, to give young people a safe space to express themselves, encouraging them to divulge their fears or trauma to trusted adults who are equipped with the appropriate resources to help and support them. When a survivor of such abuse comes forward with their story, they are sometimes met with backlash. “How could you put yourself into such a situation”, they may be asked. They may be seen as mentally weak or promiscuous for participating in activities that may have led to their abuse. However, ‘victim blaming’ and ridicule only further push these survivors away from the support they so desperately need. It could even make them withdraw inwards, potentially making them even more susceptible to abuse. 

By having an open and honest conversation and prioritising the survivor's safety and wellbeing, cases of abuse can potentially be nipped in the bud before they spiral into something much worse. Making sure that there are spaces free of judgment also encourages more survivors to step forward and ask for help. It is especially important for external organisations such as schools and other communities to provide this space, as some families may not be as supportive or empathetic if ever faced with a similar situation. After all, all survivors deserve a safe space regardless of their background.

Altogether, it is absolutely of utmost importance that we do all that is within our power to stop online sexual abuse, for the sake of all the lives that have been ruined because of it and for future young people. While it is essential to prevent predators from being able to reach children in the first place through website community guidelines and other means, it is also extremely important to ensure that in the case that they do reach them, young people are not vulnerable to their advances. We must raise the next generation to be vigilant, well-educated, and most importantly, emotionally secure. They should know that regardless of whether it comes from their families, their friends, their school, or the many communities standing behind them, they will always have someone to turn to for love and support.