Domestic
Online sexual violence targeting children is becoming more common in Finland, with police reporting that most child sexual assault cases recorded this year either occurred online or began through internet contact.
The National Police Board said the trend is affecting increasingly younger children and called on parents and guardians to discuss online safety openly with their children before they begin using digital devices independently.
Police statistics show that reports of child sexual abuse have almost doubled in recent years. A total of 801 cases were recorded in 2023, rising to 1,517 in 2025. Most investigations this year involving suspected offers of payment in exchange for sexual acts with young people have also originated online.
According to research by the Finnish child protection organisation Protect Children, victims of online sexual violence are typically around 10 years old when the abuse begins.
