Empowering narratives: Understanding consent, personal boundaries, and body autonomy in US children’s picture books

Consent education for young children primarily revolves around non-sexual interactions, and parents play a crucial role in guiding these early lessons to foster open conversations about personal boundaries and respect. Research highlights children’s books as an effective tool to initiate these discussions between parents and their young children. As such, the present study investigates the content of 102 children’s picture books about consent and child sexual abuse prevention, published from 2013 to 2023, aimed at children under 8 years of age. We used a coding framework to analyze themes related to key tenets of CSA prevention (e.g., body ownership, anatomical language, identifying trusted adults), key tenets of consent (e.g. empowering language, modeling saying “no”, defining boundaries), depictions of perpetrators (e.g. secret-keeping, inappropriate media, grooming behaviors), and depictions of parents (e.g., parent as protector, as a teacher of consent, as an enabler, parent-child dialogue). Results reveal that while most books emphasize bodily autonomy and trusted adults, few use anatomical terms or model adult responsibility, highlighting key gaps in consent education. The gaps and trends in existing materials suggest the need for further research on how these books shape children’s understanding of consent and personal boundaries. <b>Prior State of Knowledge</b>: Previous research has shown that sexual abuse is a pervasive issue with significant psychological consequences for victims. Prevention efforts often focus on educating children about personal boundaries, body safety, and consent using books, although very little research has analyzed how picture books address child sexual abuse prevention. Consent education is scarce. <b>Novel Contributions</b>: This study expands upon previous research by analyzing 102 children’s picture books that portray consent, personal boundaries, body autonomy, child safety, and child sexual abuse prevention for children aged 3 to 8. It offers a comprehensive framework for evaluating protective messaging in contemporary children’s literature. <b>Practical Implications</b>: The results offer practical guidance for parents, caregivers, and early childhood educators seeking age-appropriate books to teach consent, bodily autonomy, and safety. Results can inform book selection, support consent-focused conversations, and guide the development of future educational materials for children.