Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB) refers to the sexual behaviour showed by children and young people that are not appropriate for their age and cause harm to either themselves or others (Barnardo’s, 2021). Due to this, HSB needs thoughtful, informed, and appropriate responses from teachers.

In school environments, HSB puts teachers in a complex position where they have to protect the student displaying the behaviour and all the students who are impacted by the HSB. There is limited research in this area, particularly within educational settings, which make responding to HSB difficult (Ey & McInnes, 2020).

It is also hard to know how common HSB is due to under-reporting, differing definitions, and the need to understand behaviour in relation to a child’s age and developmental stage (Hackett, 2011).

When teachers are assessing concerning sexual behaviour, the teachers need to consider the child’s age, how often this behaviour is occurring, if the behaviour is affecting others, and if coercion and secrecy is present.

 

For pre-adolescent children HSB may include:

• Persistent sexualised behaviour in public settings
• Age-inappropriate knowledge
• Coercive touching of peers
• Use of Treats
• Sharing sexually explicit material

 

For adolescents (13 years old and over) HSB may include:

• Non-consensual sexual contact
• Sexual coercion
• Sexual harassment
• Sharing explicit images without consent

(Terre des Hommes Neverlands, 2025) (Ey & McInnes, 2020)

 

These children who show HSB may have experienced trauma, been shown sexual material, or have disruptive caregiving environments. Having a trauma informed lens helps see these behaviours as a sign of distress, and learned experiences rather than deliberate actions, allowing students to be supported while maintaining safety (Government of Western Australia, 2022, p36).