(AXIOS) In a trend that worries sexual abuse experts, teens and even younger children are sharing more nude pictures of themselves, often with adults, a new study has found.
Why it matters: Once shared with even one person, such images can easily be distributed further and become part of the corpus of child sexual abuse material in the dark corners of the web.
Driving the news: Twice as many children between the ages of 9 and 12 reported sending nudes or other suggestive pictures of themselves in 2020, compared to the prior year, according to new research from non-profit Thorn, which works to prevent child exploitation.