Preventing Peer-to-Peer Abuse

Myth: Kids Being Kids

Defining Peer Abuse

Power Imbalances

Natural Curiosity

Reflection: Preventing Peer Abuse below Natural Curiosity. Add a text box with this prompt:

1. Two minors playing a game involving contact with each other’s private areas.

2. A 12-year-old forcing a 5-year-old to perform a sexual act in a bathroom.

3. Two minors watching pornography together in a childcare room.

4. One minor asking another to show their private areas in a cabin bunk.

5. Two teenagers sexting each other on a bus.

Where Abuse Happens

Supervision

Key Takeaways: Preventing Peer-to-Peer Abuse

• Peer abuse is abuse; it should not be dismissed as “kids being kids.”

• Peer abuse often begins as bullying and can involve a power imbalance.

• It is more likely during less structured or unsupervised times and in places with privacy.

• Active supervision is a key way to prevent it.