When a Sibling Sexually Abuses a Sibling: What to Know

Mar. 15, 2025

If a parent discovers their children engaged in lighthearted exploration, “don’t be afraid to address these normal occurrences,” Watts says. “It can be a risk factor if families don’t talk about these issues or if it’s treated as something horrible. It’s normal to have questions, and it’s a good opportunity to have age-appropriate conversations.”

If, however, abuse is a factor, both the abuser and the victim will need to seek professional help.

Often, among the children Watts treats, the abusive behavior begins after a child has gotten hooked on pornography “mainly on phones,” he says. “Phones are a huge issue.”

The average age when a child seeks out pornography for the first time is 10, he says, but often parents don’t talk to their children about sex until they are 13 or 14. “Kids have these questions and they’re not coming to their parents or caregivers — they’re going to pornography,” Watts says. “Then they see these violent acts and they want to act them out. They think, ‘Who will let me do this? I can persuade or force my little sister or my little brother.'”

The good news is “once these kids get into treatment, we can get through to them,” Watts says. “The prospects of them going on and not having any sexual behavioral problems is incredibly high. It’s completely different than with adult offenders.” Children and adolescents who go through a specialized program have a 95 to 98% success rate, he says: “They can move forward and turn their lives around.”

source: people.com