Online Search Trends on Child Abuse During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using the Most Widely Used Search Engine: Retrospective Observational Study.

Abstract

Background: Child abuse is an important issue that threatens child development. The COVID-19 pandemic had psychological, social, and economic effects, and concerns were raised about a possible increase in child maltreatment.

Objective: This study aimed to describe online search trends on child abuse in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study on the online search volume of terms related to abuse, such as "abuse," "psychological abuse," "physical abuse," "neglect," "sexual abuse," "I might become abusive," "I am scared I might become abusive," and "I cannot stop abusing," in Yahoo! Japan. Search volumes were compared with trends in the number of reported cases of COVID-19.

Results: The number of searches for "neglect" increased during periods of social change caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and when waves of the pandemic coincided with the summer vacation period. Searches for terms suggesting abuse, such as "I might become abusive" and "I am scared I might become abusive," increased in 2020 followed by a decrease from 2021 onward. Most of the searches were conducted by women aged 20 to 49 years.

Conclusions: Online searches related to "neglect" increased during periods of major social change during the COVID-19 pandemic. Searches suggestive of concern about perpetrating abuse were conducted predominantly by women aged 20 to 49 years. Online search data may serve as a useful tool for identifying trends in child abuse-related search interest.