Challenges Faced by Parents in Preventing Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: A Scoping Review Protocol (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Online child sexual abuse and exploitation have become a global issue affecting the health and well-being of children and adolescents. Unlike traditional forms of sexual abuse and exploitation, online sexual abuse presents unique challenges due to the complexity of the situations involved. Parents play a crucial role as the first line of defense in preventing these incidents, yet the barriers they encounter have not been thoroughly explored. OBJECTIVE The objective of the scoping review is to identify the challenges parents face in preventing online child sexual abuse, explore the factors that contribute to those challenges, and highlight gaps in knowledge and practice on how to best support them. METHODS The review will follow the Arksey and O’Malley framework, enhanced by Levac et al., and guided by the PCC framework. A comprehensive search will be conducted in Medline (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), HealthSTAR (Ovid), Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Scopus (Elsevier), and the Cochrane Library (Wiley). The strategy will be developed with a research librarian. For inclusion criteria, this review will include primary research studies (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods) that examine the perspectives of parents or primary caregivers of children and adolescents on OCSEA prevention. Studies must focus on parental attitudes, fears, perceptions, or challenges related to OCSEA. Only studies published in English from 2018 onward will be considered. Studies that do not report on parental perspectives will be excluded. Two reviewers will independently screen studies and extract data, with conflicts resolved by a third. Findings will be narratively synthesized, following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. RESULTS The search strategy has been developed in collaboration with a health sciences librarian. Database searches, screening, and analysis is planned to commence soon. The findings of the review are anticipated by the end of 2025 and will be presented following the PRISMA-ScR reporting standards. CONCLUSIONS This scoping review will contribute to a better understanding of parental challenges in preventing OCSEA and provide insights into the types of supportive resources they need to combat OCSEA. This information will contribute to the development of comprehensive strategies that equip parents with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively safeguard their children in the digital landscape. The scoping review will provide insight into how collaborative efforts from educators, policymakers, and child protection agencies could create a safer online environment for children. CLINICALTRIAL https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/FRU5K