As she prepared for bed after hosting a sleepover, Sally* felt exhausted but content. Unbeknownst to the mother-of-three, this night in 2020—intended to celebrate the end of the second lockdown—would be her last peaceful rest for over a year. Downstairs, her seven-year-old son, Toby*, and a friend had discovered a gateway to violent pornography and predatory strangers on an iPad.
The Sleepover That Changed Everything
The evening had been filled with typical fun: popcorn, trampolining, and fancy dress. The highlight was a den constructed from pillows and sheets, where the boys begged to sleep. Until 5 am, hidden in their makeshift fort, the pair watched graphic sexual videos and chatted with strangers on the tablet Toby's friend had brought. The situation escalated when the boys were coerced into showing a man their genitals via the encrypted messaging app Telegram.
"I thought that was the worst bit," Sally told Metro. "But then my son started suffering really awful nightmares." For the subsequent 18 months, Toby, then only in Year 3, battled severe night terrors and intrusive sexual thoughts. His mother describes the aftermath as opening "Pandora's box," with her son repeatedly recalling the aggressive acts he witnessed.
A Growing Crisis in Cyber-Trauma
Toby's long-lasting trauma is frighteningly common. Dr Catherine Knibbs, a Consultant Trauma Psychotherapist specialising in online harm, reports her clinical practice is "maxed out." She explains that for children, the proximity of a screen creates a "neurobiological override," making violent or explicit content feel intensely immediate and real.
Parental concern is soaring. Ofcom's latest study found 76% of UK parents worry about their child seeing age-inappropriate content. The dangers are ever-present: last year, violent videos spread rapidly on social media, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned platform X could lose its right to self-regulate after its AI chatbot, Grok, could generate explicit imagery. Ofcom is considering banning the platform.
Internationally, the response is hardening. In November 2025, Australia prohibited social media for under-16s after research showed 96% of 10-15-year-olds had an account, and 70% had been exposed to harmful material.
The Aftermath and the Fight for Recovery
For Toby, the psychological fallout was devastating. He suffered "sexualised nightmares" that left him screaming, and intrusive thoughts that triggered panic attacks—even imagining Santa Claus performing sexual acts. The trauma became so overwhelming he had to leave school for four months and undergo nearly a year of intensive therapy, costing his family roughly £90 per session.
Sally's story is echoed by Kate*, whose autistic daughter, Olivia*, was groomed online in 2022 at age 12. Despite parental controls, Olivia was coerced on Discord into sending explicit photos and performing fetish acts over 11 days. "The one thing we're meant to do is keep our children safe, and we failed," said Olivia's father. Dutch authorities later jailed the perpetrator for 30 months.
Dr Knibbs urges proactive, open dialogue. "Parents need to have conversations repeatedly with their children about what they're doing online," she advises, suggesting using everyday media like TV shows to start discussions about online behaviour.
Today, Toby is 13 and back in a "really good place," enjoying sports and friends. Sally now visits primary schools to share his story and runs an anonymous website for families affected by online harm. Both families exemplify the perseverance needed to navigate this digital landscape, where a single click can alter a childhood forever.
