She later learned that he had shared those images and videos with one of his friends, who subsequently informed her of what had happened. Her experience illustrates how abuse can develop within relationships that initially feel safe, affectionate and voluntary: “I realized that he wasn't just looking at those pictures and videos on his own, but with a friend of his. And at one point, I don't know if he [the boyfriend’s friend] felt sorry for me or what happened. He wrote to me and said, ‘Look, you should leave him.’ And I said, ‘But why? Everything is fine’. He sent me one of the photos of me. And, well, I felt like the most used, the dirtiest, the worst person.” What begins as a request for a photo, a private conversation, or a proof of love can quickly cross boundaries and become harmful. Sometimes this harm is intentional. In other cases, young people may not fully understand consent, privacy, respectful relationships, or the consequences of sharing someone else’s intimate content with others. Peer cultures and harmful norms around gender or masculinity can further normalize behaviours that cause significant harm, making abuse harder to recognize and address. Therefore, prevention efforts cannot focus only on strangers online; they must also help children and young people understand consent, boundaries, respect and responsibility in their relationships with one another. But some abuse is more deliberate, targeted and predatory. Alongside peer and relationship-based situations, some children are subjected to abuse by unknown individuals who intentionally seek them out online. Perpetrators use digital platforms to identify, contact and manipulate children deliberately. Conversations that begin as friendly, casual and caring can gradually become more coercive and controlling as trust is established and boundaries are tested. In other cases, the abuse is immediate and intrusive, with explicit sexual content or propositions sent without warning. Through Children’s Eyes Who abuses children? 20