Technology assisted child sexual abuse: as a frame through which to develop and broaden understandings of abuse involving technologies and the online

Fundamental to 21st century child protection practices are practitioners with an appreciation of the emergent social world. As Howarth (2001) points out ‘the needs of the child cannot be met without a consideration of the world in which the child lives’ (p.24). In current terms, understanding a child or young person in context requires a robust appreciation of technologies, the online and how the two are inextricably enmeshed. Within this enmeshed context, whilst considerable opportunities await, the potential for considerable harm lies in wait too, and this knowledge is significant to keeping children safe. Although abuse involving technologies takes many forms, for example bullying, sexting, radicalisation and criminal exploitation, this chapter focuses on Technology-Assisted Child Sexual Abuse (TA-CSA).