New Finnish research suggests about 10% of children aged 11–15 experience sexual harassment on social media every week in the country, or about 18,000 children.  

Telecom company DNA and child safety group Protect Children have launched a campaign to raise awareness and promote a skill that children need to learn—taking a screen shot, to help preserve evidence and thwart future harassment.  

The campaign is anchored by an installation in Helsinki that illustrates the scale of online harassment targeted at children. It features a child in a glass box afloat among hundreds of eggplants, which are widely recognized in digital communication as a sexual reference. The eggplants symbolize the sexually suggestive messages, propositions, and contacts that children encounter online every week.  

The effort highlights knowing how to take screenshots as a way for children to seek support when they encounter harassment online. 

According to Council of Europe statistics, 33% of children who have experienced sexual violence never disclose their experience to any adult. Thus, screenshots are seen as an important way to document incidents and report cases to the authorities.  

"Sexual harassment often takes place online in situations that adults cannot see,” says Katariina Leivo, senior specialist at Protect Children. “It may be difficult for a child to explain what happened in their own words, but a screenshot helps show what occurred. It can lower the threshold for asking for help and help ensure that a child is not left alone with their experience."