Last updated by Stephanie.Rosser@essex.gov.uk on Wednesday, June 5, 2024

NSPCC Learning has published a new statistics briefing on harmful sexual behaviour. It looks at data and statistics about harmful sexual behaviour in the UK to help professionals make evidence-based decisions, covering the scale of the issue and what data tells us about children who experienced or display harmful sexual behaviour.

Key findings from the data

• There is some cross-over between online and offline HSB and between child sexual exploitation and HSB.
• Harmful sexual behaviour is most commonly identified in adolescent boys, but girls and younger children can also display HSB.
• A significant proportion of children who display HSB also have a learning disability.
• The majority of children who display HSB have themselves experienced trauma, including abuse or neglect.
• The majority of children and young people displaying HSB do not become sexual offenders as adults.
• Young people who display HSB often experience other emotional, behavioural and peer related difficulties.