Number of sexual abuses by teenagers on rise in Finland

There has been a sharp rise in the number of suspected sexual offences reported to the police where the perpetrator is a minor, according to the statistics of National Police Board.

The statistics of 2025 showed that the number of suspected criminal offences committed by under-15s has increased by 78 per cent in five years, said police in a press release on Tuesday.

Among 15- to 17-year-olds, the number has increased by 63 per cent.

The largest increase is in the number of offences related to sexually explicit material involving children.

“For example, in 2025, the police were notified of 241 cases in which a person under the age of 15 was suspected of distributing sexually explicit material involving children. Exposure to harmful content online can increase a child’s risk of committing a crime themselves, such as sexual violence,” said Chief Inspector of the National Police Board Saara Asmundela.

International research also showed that the number of suspected cases of sexual violence committed by children and young people is on the rise.

According to a study conducted in England and Wales in 2022, the most common age of all suspects of sexual violence was 14.

The internet and social media give children and young people the opportunity to search for information, explore the world, pursue hobbies, produce content, and meet peers and people of the same age.

At the same time, however, they can potentially be exposed to all the bad things that they may not encounter so easily offline. The evil, harmful, and criminal elements of the offline world are present wherever people are, including online.

The police recommend that parents follow the national recommendations for children aged 0–13 on the use of digital devices during leisure time, published by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare in January 2026.

Some content on the internet and social media, such as material depicting violence and children in a sexual context, is harmful to viewers of any age. However, children and young people in particular may see things and content online that they do not understand or are not equipped to process at their stage of development. It can be difficult for them to raise such matters with a trusted adult if they cannot articulate how they feel.

The internet and social media also normalise things that might feel strange or wrong offline. Internet users can chat and "make friends" with complete strangers without knowing anything about them at all.

People may share information about themselves online that they would not disclose to strangers in their offline lives. Internet users may seek the approval of others by sharing visual content such as photos and videos. Sending a nude photo to a stranger online may not feel as strange as handing over the same photo to a stranger on the street. Messaging with strangers about sexual things can also be easier online than discussing the same topics offline.

The internet is also used to search for information. Children and young people become curious and interested in sexual matters, especially at certain stages of their development. Sex education aims to provide children with the information and skills they need to protect themselves better and act appropriately.

Sex education also involves teaching emotional skills and the names of body parts and functions so that children are able to describe where they have been touched, for example, if they are ever subjected to violence.

If sex education is not available elsewhere or is insufficient to answer children’s questions, they may, in the worst case scenario, use the internet as a tool for sex education.

In such cases, pornography or even illegal material may provide an example for children to follow in their sexual activity, behaviour, and respect or disrespect for the boundaries of others.