Using Safe and Ethical Technology to Prevent and Respond to Sexual Violence and Intimate Partner Violence During Adolescence and Young Adulthood: Identifying Evidence, Best Practices, and Pathways Forward—An International, English-Language Scoping Review

Adolescents and young adults face high risks of sexual violence and intimate partner violence (SV/IPV). While technology can help mitigate SV/IPV, it also has the potential to enable abuse. Ensuring the safe and ethical use of technology in SV/IPV prevention is crucial. To synthesize evidence on the use of technology for the prevention and response to SV/IPV among adolescents and young adults, with a focus on assessing safety and ethical considerations. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for English-language studies published globally between 2008 and 2025 and describing the use of technology to prevent or respond to SV/IPV among youth aged 10 to 24 years of all genders. Covidence was used to screen studies, with two authors applying the eligibility criteria. The included literature was synthesized on a prepared data extraction form and thematically analyzed as a narrative to identify emergent findings. Fourteen reviewed references highlighted two main uses of technology: (a) preventing SV/IPV through awareness, safety plans, and emergency alerts, and (b) responding to SV/IPV by connecting users to support services. Common safety considerations included informed consent and user anonymity, but concerns were raised about data privacy, inability to use technology discreetly around perpetrators, and non-inclusive content limiting access for vulnerable populations. Although some technologies describe safety and ethical considerations, there are gaps in structured protocols and frameworks to guide ethical development and the inclusion of specific features that safeguard adolescents and young adults against unintended harm.