Paper Contents
Abstract
AbstractOnline exploitation and abuse targeting children have reached unprecedented levels globally. This research paper explores recent crime trends, legal responses, and technological countermeasures protecting minors in the digital space. It combines scholarly analysis and statistical data from the first half of 2025 to illustrate the urgent need for a multifaceted response. The rapid expansion of digital technologies has transformed the way children learn, communicate, and socialize, but it has also created new vulnerabilities that expose them to online exploitation and abuse. The digital environment presents risks such as grooming, cyberbullying, trafficking, and the circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), which can have lasting psychological, social, and emotional consequences. Addressing these threats requires a comprehensive strategy that integrates legal frameworks with technological innovations.From a legal perspective, international conventions such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime provide a foundation for protecting children in cyberspace. National legislations, including Indias Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the United States Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), illustrate how different jurisdictions seek to safeguard children from digital harms. However, cross-border crimes, the anonymity of the dark web, and jurisdictional conflicts continue to challenge enforcement mechanisms.
Copyright
Copyright © 2025 asma javed. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
