From behaviours to interactions: reframing conceptualisations of the nature and causes of sexual harm among young people

This paper examines how educators, police and children’s service providers, alongside young people, conceptualise the nature and causes of sexual harm among young people. Drawing on qualitative research conducted in southeast England, we identify four themes: sexual harm as learned behaviour rooted in personal and familial risk factors; normalisation of harmful experiences among girls; neglect and minimisation of boys’ victimisation; and evolving digital terrains of harm. While some participants engaged with structural and cultural explanations, many framed sexual harm through an individualised, risk-focused behaviourist lens. We suggest the emphasis on behaviour within the prevailing use of the term “harmful sexual behaviour” reinforces reductionist perspectives and overlooks interactional, institutional, and socio-cultural dynamics shaping young people’s experiences. Drawing on sexual script theory and post-digital sexual citizenship, we expand the conceptual terrain, advocating for a holistic and inclusive approach situating sexual harm within broader relational and institutional contexts, requiring nuanced, context-sensitive responses. PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENT: We advocate shifting focus from individualised and pathologising approaches to “harmful sexual behaviour” toward addressing broader cultural, relational and institutional dynamics shaping sexual harm among young people. By reframing the discourse to emphasise social and institutional contexts, we encourage policies and practices that promote a nuanced understanding of the cultural and structural factors influencing sexual harm, enabling more supportive and inclusive interventions.