Perceptions of Child Sexual Abuse Perpetrated by Male Educators in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings: A Reddit Analysis.

Larissa S Christensen; Bricklyn Priebe; Madeline Lee

doi:10.1080/01639625.2026.2713731

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Perceptions of Child Sexual Abuse Perpetrated by Male Educators in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings: A Reddit Analysis.

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Perceptions of Child Sexual Abuse Perpetrated by Male Educators in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings: A Reddit Analysis.

Larissa S Christensen, Bricklyn Priebe and Madeline Lee

Deviant Behavior, Vol.Advanced access

09-Aug-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2026.2713731

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Abstract

Child sexual abuse can occur in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Of the ECEC child sexual abuse cases we hear about in the media, there is significant discourse amongst some members of the public. What is currently missing in the academic literature is an understanding of these non-experts’ views on safeguarding children in ECEC settings. The current study sought to answer two research questions: (1) How do Australian Reddit users assign blame and responsibility in response to the high-profile childcare sexual abuse cases involving a male educator? and (2) What responses and prevention strategies are proposed by these Reddit users? A total of 1,108 comments on Reddit were examined, from 478 unique users. Utilizing inductive thematic analysis, several prominent themes were identified. Blame and responsibility were attributed across two areas: (1) gendered and individualized blame and (2) system and institutional failure. Three themes related to prevention and response: (1) stronger regulation and reform, including workforce investment and professionalization, (2) mixed views on gender-focused safeguarding, and (3) safeguarding through supervision and design. Findings underscore that the prevention of child sexual abuse in ECEC settings requires a “whole of system” approach.

Details

Title: Perceptions of Child Sexual Abuse Perpetrated by Male Educators in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings: A Reddit Analysis.
Authors: Larissa S Christensen (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Bricklyn Priebe - University of the Sunshine Coast
Madeline Lee - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Deviant Behavior, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Inc.
DOI: 10.1080/01639625.2026.2713731
ISSN: 1521-0456
Copyright note: © 2026 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Organisation Unit: School of Law and Society; Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991251599702621
Output Type: Journal article

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