Exploited Online: Sending Self-Generated Sexual Material and Sextortion of Children in Croatia and Serbia

This paper presents findings from large-scale national research on self-generated explicit material and sextortion among high school students in Croatia and Serbia. The study, conducted as part of the deShame Croatia and deShame Serbia projects, involved randomly selected samples of 2,016 students in Croatia and 2,095 students in Serbia. Results indicate excessive daily internet use, with over 40% of students in both countries maintaining multiple active social media profiles, a potential indicator of risky online interactions. Alarmingly, a significant percentage of students reported sending self-generated sexual content under pressure or coercion, highlighting the prevalence of sextortion. These findings underscore the urgent need for evidence-based preventive programs and policy reforms to address online exploitation and protect children and young people.