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    • Child on Child Abuse

    What is Child-on-Child Abuse? 

    ‘Children can abuse other children (often referred to as child-on-child abuse), and that it can happen both inside and outside of school or college and online.' 

    Keeping Children Safe in Education (September 2025)

    Child-on-child abuse is behaviour by an individual or group, intending to physically, sexually or emotionally harm others.  It can happen to children of a similar age or stage of development and can be harmful to the children who display it as well as those who experience it. 

    How do we understand what child-on-child abuse is?

    Child-on-child abuse is most likely to include, but may not be limited to:

    • Bullying (including cyberbullying, prejudice-based and discriminatory bullying)
    • Physical abuse such as hitting, kicking, shaking, biting, hair pulling or otherwise causing physical harm (this may include an online element, which facilitates, threatens and/or encourages physical abuse) 
    • Emotional abuse- on or off line
    • Abuse in intimate relationships between peers 
    • Sexual violence and sexual harassment
    • Causing someone to engage in sexual activity without consent 
    • Upskirting, which typically involves taking a picture under a person’s clothing without their permission, to obtain sexual gratification or cause the victim humiliation, distress or alarm  
    • Consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude and semi-nude images and/or videos (also known as sexting or youth produced sexual imagery)
    • Initiation/hazing type violence and rituals, which could include activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group, and may also include an online element

    This is explained in paragraph 33 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE).

    What are the indicators and signs that a child is being abused by their peers? 

    Indicators and signs that a child may be suffering from child-on-child abuse can also overlap with those indicating other types of abuse and can include: 

    • failing to attend school, disengaging from lessons, or struggling to carry out school related tasks to the standard ordinarily expected
    • physical injuries
    • experiencing difficulties with mental health and/or emotional wellbeing
    • becoming withdrawn and/or shy; experiencing headaches, stomach aches, anxiety and/or panic attacks; suffering from nightmares or lack of sleep or sleeping too much
    • broader changes in behaviour including alcohol or substance misuse
    • changes in appearance and/or starting to act in a way that is not appropriate for the child's age
    • abusive behaviour towards others 

    Abuse affects our children and their presenting behaviours in different ways and the list above is not exhaustive.  Children who present with one or more of these signs are not necessarily victims of abuse and their behaviour will depend on their individual circumstances. 

    ALL staff are alert to behaviour that may cause concern and think about what the behaviour might signify. We actively encourage children to share with us any underlying reasons for their behaviour, and, where appropriate, to engage with their parents/carers so that the cause(s) of their behaviour can be investigated and understood with the appropriate support in place. 

    We recognise that any child can be vulnerable to child-on-child abuse due to the strength of peer influence, especially during adolescence, and staff should be alert to signs of such abuse amongst all children.  

    What factors influence sexualised behaviour? 

    Many factors influence sexual behaviour, including:

    • lack of sex and relationships information
    • lack of privacy
    • boredom, loneliness, anxiety, confusion or depression
    • family/carer conflict or information and support needs
    • lack of rules, appropriate consequences or boundaries
    • emotional, physical or sexual abuse
    • sexual exploitation and/or trafficking
    • communication difficulties
    • sexual excitement or curiosity
    • attention or relationship needs
    • gender issues
    • copying the behaviour of other children and young people
    • copying behaviours seen on the internet or TV 

    This is not an exhaustive list and we may need specialist support to clearly identify the reason for the behaviour and the correct intervention.  

    Dealing with unhealthy sexual behaviour at an early stage can help to prevent subsequent sexually harmful behaviours from developing.