{"id":120046,"date":"2020-08-11T11:00:29","date_gmt":"2020-08-11T10:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=120046"},"modified":"2023-03-06T10:06:04","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T10:06:04","slug":"child-sexual-play-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm","title":{"rendered":"Child Sexual Play, or Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Haunted by memories of a sexual incident when you were a kid? But tell yourself you are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/are-you-overreacting-how-to-tell.htm\">overreacting<\/a>, as it was with another child? Yes, child sexual play can be normal. But it c<\/span><span class=\"s1\">an also veer into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/sexual-assault-long-term-psychological-effects-survivors-need-know.htm\">assault<\/a> or child-on-child sexual abuse. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">What is normal child sexual behaviour?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-120049\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash-400x274.jpg\" alt=\"child sexual play\" width=\"400\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash-400x274.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash-500x343.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Children are curious about their bodies from toddlers.<\/strong> It\u2019s entirely normal for\u00a0 young children to explore themselves with touching, rubbing, and pulling, particularly between the ages of two to six.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Until young children are taught that<\/strong> masturbation is to be done in private, that they should respect other people&#8217;s body privacy, and that they should not touch other people\u2019s private parts, other normal behaviours can include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">showing their genitals to other children <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">trying to see adults or other children naked <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">looking at or touching a sibling or friend\u2019s genitals. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>From there, child sexual behaviours can become less child sexual play and more a cause for concern<\/strong>, as seen in the chart below put out by<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthychildren.org\/English\/ages-stages\/preschool\/Pages\/Sexual-Behaviors-Young-Children.aspx\"> the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-120047 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/child-sexual-abuse-in-children-2-6-400x358.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/child-sexual-abuse-in-children-2-6-400x358.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/child-sexual-abuse-in-children-2-6-768x688.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/child-sexual-abuse-in-children-2-6-500x448.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/child-sexual-abuse-in-children-2-6.jpg 779w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>As the chart shows, body exploration becomes a worry if a child:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">is mimicking adult sexual acts<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">won\u2019t stop their sexual behaviours<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">is upsetting others. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em><span class=\"s1\">Further than that, and it can become child-on-child sexual abuse. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Child-on-child sexual abuse (COCSA) <\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">Child-on-child sexual abuse (COCSA) means that a child or adolescent involves a prepubescent child in a sexual act that:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"s1\">is deliberate <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"s1\">is non consensual <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"s1\">or is consensual, but the child doesn\u2019t know the nature of what is happening <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"s1\">is not equal, either mentally, physically, or in age<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"s1\">involves coercion either mentally, physically, or both. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/live-well\/healthy-body\/spotting-signs-of-child-sexual-abuse\/\">On their website<\/a>,<strong> the NHS here in the UK clearly admit that<\/strong> <strong>\u201caround a third of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-can-i-remember-childhood-trauma-abuse.htm\">child sexual abuse<\/a> is carried out by other, usually older, children or young people.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #333399;\">And yet the Office for National Statistics, in their <a style=\"color: #333399;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/peoplepopulationandcommunity\/crimeandjustice\/articles\/childsexualabuseinenglandandwales\/yearendingmarch2019\">2019 report on child sexual abuse in England and Wales<\/a>, don\u2019t even mention it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_120071\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-120071\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-120071\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/433005628_f7e6b88a3d-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"child on child sexual abuse\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/433005628_f7e6b88a3d-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/433005628_f7e6b88a3d.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-120071\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mrbill\/433005628\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Bill Bradford<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>This shows how sadly underreported and discussed<\/strong> child-on-child sexual abuse is. <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Adults can brush off a child&#8217;s report of such abuse as \u2018kids being kids\u2019, or not<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>report it for fear of what would happen to the children involved.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Is or isn&#8217;t my memory an abuse memory?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>It depends on what happened.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Was it a close friend or sibling? Someone you often explored life and play with?<\/li>\n<li>Were you similar in size, age, and knowledge?<\/li>\n<li>Were you exploring\u00a0 bodies and things got out of hand? Was it things like dirty jokes, looking at private parts, or humping?<\/li>\n<li>Were you both unsure of what you were doing but were gathering information?<\/li>\n<li>Was it a one off? Just a few times? Or stopped when you said no?<\/li>\n<li>Did you mostly just feel worried you&#8217;d get into trouble?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>It was likely normalised sexual behaviour over abuse.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On the other hand:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Was it a child you didn&#8217;t know too well or often play with?<\/li>\n<li>Or were they older and bigger than you, or at a higher developmental level?<\/li>\n<li>Did they seem to know a lot of things you didn&#8217;t? Do things no other kids you knew did? And seemed sure of what they were doing?<\/li>\n<li>Were things done without asking, or did the other child keep going when you said stop?<\/li>\n<li>Did it cause you pain or discomfort?<\/li>\n<li>Afterwards did you feel sad, guilty, ashamed, or afraid?<\/li>\n<li>Did it happen several times, or did they keep trying to get you to do things?<\/li>\n<li>Did they tell you they would do bad things if you told? Or otherwise blackmail you to do things again or not tell?<\/li>\n<li>Did the other child or adolescent seem angry either before, during, or after?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>It&#8217;s likely you suffered child-on-child sexual abuse.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\">Symptoms of child on child sexual abuse <\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Child on child sexual abuse can leave you with the same symptoms as if you suffered abuse by an adult.<\/strong> This can include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/anxiety-vs-depression.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">anxiety and depression <\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"p7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/medically-unexplained-symptoms-counselling.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">constant illness<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"s1\">deep feelings of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/shame-definition.htm\">shame<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/why-do-i-feel-guilty-all-the-time.htm\"> guilt<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-emotional-dsyregulation.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">emotional dysregulation<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/foggy-brain.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">foggy thinking <\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/who-am-i-identity-crisis.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">identity issues<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/negative-thoughts.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">low self-esteem <\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/sexual-partners-double-standard.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">promiscuity<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"p7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/healthy-relationships-is-it-one.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">difficult relationships<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"p7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/trusting-others-hard.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">trust issues <\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\">restlessness <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/managing-suicidal-thoughts.htm\"><span class=\"s1\">suicidal thinking <\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-complex-ptsd.htm\">complex PTSD<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>[For more about symptoms of sexual abuse, see our article<\/strong> on \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/were-you-sexually-abused-as-a-child.htm\">How to Tell You Were Abused as a Child\u2019<\/a>.]<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Abuse that follows abuse<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Note that children who were abused by children can then go on to be abused again by an adult, or to experience<\/strong> assault or abuse when an adolescent or adult themselves. This can mean the memory of the child-on-child abuse is overlooked or brushed aside.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p7\"><span class=\"s1\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">A<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1093\/clipsy.9.2.135\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> review<\/span><\/a> identifying rates and effects of sexual re-victimisation among people who experienced child sexual abuse showed that if you were abused as a kid, you have up to three times a greater risk of being revictimised when older.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Why do children abuse children?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-120050\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/kelly-sikkema-EcvLKMVvd4s-unsplash-267x400.jpg\" alt=\"child on child sexual abuse\" width=\"267\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/kelly-sikkema-EcvLKMVvd4s-unsplash-267x400.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/kelly-sikkema-EcvLKMVvd4s-unsplash-400x600.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/kelly-sikkema-EcvLKMVvd4s-unsplash.jpg 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px\" \/>It is a learned behaviour. They are generally (but not all) children who have lived through<\/strong> neglect and abuse themselves, either abuse by an adult or another child or adolescent. This might be non-contact abuse, such as being forced to look at porn or watch adults having sex.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>In some cases, they will have \u2018normalised\u2019 the abuse they have lived through and not realise<\/strong> what they are doing to another child is wrong. And they don\u2019t realise that it\u2019s harming them as much as the other child. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>It\u2019s also true that children who abuse other children need help<\/strong> as much as the children they hurt. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #666699;\">This is not to say that as an adult who realises they experienced child on child sexual abuse, you should brush it off as \u2018he or she didn\u2019t know what they were doing\u2019. If it was an upsetting experience for you, it is important to take it seriously.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>It is also not to say that all children who are abused<\/strong> go on to abuse other children, or even to say that the majority do.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Dealing with memories of child on child sexual abuse <\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>It can be very confusing to have memories of child on child sexual abuse, particularly if it was a sibling.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"color: #800080;\">An <a style=\"color: #800080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1300\/J070v15n04_02\">exploratory study<\/a> talking to over forty survivors of sibling incest found that survivors often convinced themselves it was consensual, or even changed the story to make themselves the instigator.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>If you believe you were<\/strong> abused by another child, it doesn&#8217;t matter if your memories are confusing or uncertain. It&#8217;s advisable to take the same steps as navigating any other kind of sexual abuse (see our article &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/i-think-i-was-abused-as-a-child.htm\">What to Do Now if you Think You Were Abused<\/a>&#8216;).<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p7\">Can therapy help me?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>If there was one thing seeking support is fairly essential for, it&#8217;s <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/i-think-i-was-abused-as-a-child.htm\">navigating child sexual abuse<\/a>, regardless if the perpetrator was a child, adolescent, or adult. Abuse hits us at the core of who we are. Trying to untangle it can release <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/shame-definition.htm\">deep feelings of shame<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/anxiety-therapy.htm\">anxiety<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/feeling-of-fear.htm\">fear<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>And talking about it to the wrong person can leave us feeling<\/strong> traumatised all over again, if we perceive their response to be a judgement or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/the-private-hell-of-rejection-why-does-it-keep-happening-to-you.htm\">rejection<\/a>. Or, worse, a denial of our experience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It&#8217;s important to find support from someone who understands. This could mean first<\/strong> sharing with a trusted friend who always believes in you. But it&#8217;s advisable to then seek a support group, or the support of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/types-of-therapists.htm\">counsellor or psychotherapist<\/a> who can create a safe space for you to process your experiences and emotions.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Need help processing child sexual abuse? We connect you with top <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/abuse-counselling-london.htm\">London therapists for abuse survivors<\/a> at our central offices or online. Or use <a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Mid%20Post\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\">our online booking platform<\/span> <\/a>to source<a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Mid%20Post\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"> affordable UK-wide registered therapists<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Post%20End\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\">online counselling<\/span><\/a> now.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>If you are having thoughts about children that are concerning you, please <a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stopitnow.org.uk\/concerned-about-your-own-thoughts-or-behaviour\/\">contact the charity Stop it Now!<\/a> who are experts in this domain and have a free helpline.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-117271 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-150x150.png\" alt=\"Andrea M. Darcy\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673-50x50.png 50w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-e1675110089673.png 268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Andrea M. Darcy<\/strong> is a health and wellbeing writer as well as mentor who often writes about trauma, relationships, and ADHD. Find her on Instagram @am_darcy<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Andrea M. Darcy Haunted by memories of a sexual incident when you were a kid? But tell yourself you are overreacting, as it was with another child? Yes, child sexual play can be normal. But it can also veer into assault or child-on-child sexual abuse. What is normal child sexual behaviour? Children are curious [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":120049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[3948],"tags":[394,403,402],"class_list":["post-120046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abuse-and-trauma","tag-abuse","tag-child-abuse","tag-sexual-abuse","has_thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Child Sexual Play, or Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is it child sexual play, and normal child sexualised behaviour? Or is it actually child on child sexual abuse? Is your childhood memory actually abuse?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Child Sexual Play, or Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is it child sexual play, and normal child sexualised behaviour? Or is it actually child on child sexual abuse? Is your childhood memory actually abuse?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-08-11T10:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-06T10:06:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"709\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"486\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andrea M. Darcy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndreaMDarcy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HarleyTherapy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andrea M. Darcy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm\",\"name\":\"Child Sexual Play, or Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-08-11T10:00:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-06T10:06:04+00:00\",\"description\":\"Is it child sexual play, and normal child sexualised behaviour? Or is it actually child on child sexual abuse? Is your childhood memory actually abuse?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg\",\"width\":709,\"height\":486,\"caption\":\"child sexual play\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Child Sexual Play, or Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\",\"description\":\"Self-Help for Better Emotional Health\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling\",\"alternateName\":\"Harley Therapy\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/images\\\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/cropped-harleytherapypsychotherapycounsellinglogo.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/harleytherapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/HarleyTherapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/harley-therapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/c\\\/HarleyTherapyCoUk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/harleytherapy\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/uk.trustpilot.com\\\/review.harleytherapy.co.uk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.reviews.co.uk\\\/company-reviews\\\/store\\\/harleytherapy-co-uk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.crunchbase.com\\\/organization\\\/harley-therapy-psychotherapy-counselling\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Child Sexual Play, or Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","description":"Is it child sexual play, and normal child sexualised behaviour? Or is it actually child on child sexual abuse? Is your childhood memory actually abuse?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Child Sexual Play, or Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse?","og_description":"Is it child sexual play, and normal child sexualised behaviour? Or is it actually child on child sexual abuse? Is your childhood memory actually abuse?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm","og_site_name":"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy","article_published_time":"2020-08-11T10:00:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-03-06T10:06:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":709,"height":486,"url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Andrea M. Darcy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndreaMDarcy","twitter_site":"@HarleyTherapy","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andrea M. Darcy","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm","name":"Child Sexual Play, or Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse? - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg","datePublished":"2020-08-11T10:00:29+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-06T10:06:04+00:00","description":"Is it child sexual play, and normal child sexualised behaviour? Or is it actually child on child sexual abuse? Is your childhood memory actually abuse?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg","width":709,"height":486,"caption":"child sexual play"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/child-sexual-play-abuse.htm#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Child Sexual Play, or Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/","name":"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","description":"Self-Help for Better Emotional Health","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#organization","name":"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling","alternateName":"Harley Therapy","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/images\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/cropped-harleytherapypsychotherapycounsellinglogo.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy","https:\/\/x.com\/HarleyTherapy","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/harley-therapy","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/HarleyTherapyCoUk","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/harleytherapy\/","https:\/\/uk.trustpilot.com\/review.harleytherapy.co.uk","https:\/\/www.reviews.co.uk\/company-reviews\/store\/harleytherapy-co-uk","https:\/\/www.crunchbase.com\/organization\/harley-therapy-psychotherapy-counselling"]}]}},"modified_by":"Kirsty Thomas","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg",709,486,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash-400x274.jpg",400,274,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg",709,486,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash-500x343.jpg",500,343,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg",709,486,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash.jpg",709,486,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash-200x200.jpg",200,200,true],"featured":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash-200x200.jpg",200,200,true],"related":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash-180x120.jpg",180,120,true],"widgetthumb":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash-50x50.jpg",50,50,true],"slider":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/park-troopers-RAtKWVlfdf4-unsplash-600x200.jpg",600,200,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Andrea M. Darcy","author_link":"#"},"uagb_comment_info":73,"uagb_excerpt":"by Andrea M. Darcy Haunted by memories of a sexual incident when you were a kid? But tell yourself you are overreacting, as it was with another child? Yes, child sexual play can be normal. But it can also veer into assault or child-on-child sexual abuse. What is normal child sexual behaviour? Children are curious&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120046"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139509,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120046\/revisions\/139509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}