The present and future of child sexual abuse on the metaverse: recommendations for an innovative approach to law enforcement responses
| Date | 16 October 2024 |
| Pages | 316-329 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-03-2024-0889 |
| Published date | 16 October 2024 |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Aggression,conflict & peace,Sociology,Gender studies,Gender violence,Political sociology,policy & social change,Social conflicts,War/peace |
| Author | Kyung-Shick Choi,Whitney Sanders,Claire Seungeun Lee |
The present and future of child sexual
abuse on the metaverse: recommendations
for an innovative approach to law
enforcement responses
Kyung-Shick Choi, Whitney Sanders and Claire Seungeun Lee
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study is twofold:(1) to diagnose and analyze the current state of child
sexual violence in the Metaverse through thematic analysis, identifying patterns and empirically
diagnosing issues and(2) to enhance cybercrime investigation capabilities and public safety trainingin
Metaverseinvestigations in the future.
Design/methodology/approach –By using thematic analysis, the study examines online child sexual
violence victimizationcases in the Metaverse, collecting data through keywordsearches in newspapers
and courtrecords.
Research limitations/implications –This study providesdetailed policy recommendationsfor building
trust betweenthe government and citizens involved in the digitalage.
Originality/value –The research endeavors harbor a dual focus: first, to meticulously dissect and
comprehendthe prevalent landscape of child sexual violencewithin the intricate realms of the Metaverse.
Through rigorous thematic analysis, the authors endeavor to unearth underlying patterns, diagnose
empirical realities and illuminate the pressing issues at hand. Second, the authors aspire to fortify the
arsenal of cybercrime investigation techniques, bolstering the capacity for future Metaverse inquiries.
Using thematicanalysis, the study meticulously scrutinizesa dozen cases of onlinechild sexual violence,
meticulously gathering data from diverse sources such as newspapers and court records. The
implications of the researchextend far beyond academia, offering concrete policy recommendations to
safeguardvulnerable denizens of the Metaverse.
Keywords Metaverse, Child sexual abuse, Technology, Legal cases, Police responses,
Cybercrime prevention
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The concept of the Metaverse has attracted considerable interest in recent years, with
scholars from various disciplines studying this emerging digital domain. The term
“Metaverse” is a ble nd of “meta,” meaning “ virtual,” and “uni verse,” indicatin g a
comprehensive virtual realm (Lee et al.,2021). The Metaverse represents an advancement
beyond virtual reality (VR), a sophisticated technology that allows users to engage with real-
world scenarios in a virtual environment. This digital universe supports social and cultural
activities that mirror real-life interactions and has been increasingly associated with sectors
like e-commerce, media and entertainment, real estate and education. More than 160
companies comprise the Metaverse (Zhou, 2022). For example, Facebook, a leading social
media-based company, recently switchedto a Metaverse-oriented company by changing its
name to “Meta.” Demographically, users of the three largest games on the Metaverse
(Minecraft, Fortnite and Roblox)are young, many under 20 (Zhou, 2022).
Kyung-Shick Choi is based
at the Department of
Applied Social Sciences,
Metropolitan College,
Boston University, Boston,
Massachusetts, USA.
Whitney Sanders is based
at the Department of
Applied Social Sciences,
Metropolitan College, The
University of Texas at
Dallas, Richardson, Texas,
USA.
Claire Seungeun Lee is
based at School of
Criminology and Justice
Studies, University of
Massachusetts Lowell,
Lowell, Massachusetts,
USA.
Received 30 March 2024
Revised 15 August 2024
Accepted 21 August 2024
This paper forms part of a
special section “Cyberviolence:
a plague of victimization and
exploitation online”, guest
edited by Catherine Marcum
and Kyung-Shick Choi.
PAGE 316 jJOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, CONFLICTAND PEACE RESEARCH jVOL. 16 NO. 4 2024, pp. 316-329, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1759-6599 DOI 10.1108/JACPR-03-2024-0889
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