Background

Gender-based violence (GBV) refers to any harmful act or threat targeting an individual or group due to their actual or perceived sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or sex characteristics [1]. One major category of GBV is sexual and interpersonal violence (SIV), which includes a range of behaviors such as sexual assault (e.g., non-consensual sexual contact), dating violence (e.g., controlling or abusive behavior in romantic relationships), and intimate partner violence (e.g., physical or emotional abuse by a current or former partner) [2,3]. Globally, SIV affect one in three women and girls [4], and also impacts men and boys, often in less visible ways [5,6]. For instance, in India, a study revealed that 52.4% of men reported experiencing SIV in their lifetime, with contributing factors such as lower family income, limited education, and alcohol use by perpetrators [7]. The prevalence is even higher among gender-non-binary individuals who do not place themselves in the male/female categories and may include transgender, non-conforming, third gender, and other non-cisgender individuals [8–10]. These patterns reveal the broad and complex nature of SIV affecting diverse groups.Across population segments, adolescents and youth face unique risks of SIV. In comparison to adults, adolescents are 3–4 times more likely to experience sexual violence [10–13], and approximately 10–20% adolescents become victims of sexual or physical dating violence [14]. Within the United States, 16–19 year old women are 4 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women in other age groups [15]. Gender diverse adolescents and young adults experience violent victimization at rates four times higher than that of cisgender young people [11,12], driven by stigma, discrimination, social isolation, and absence of protective policies [13,14]. Sexual and dating violence among youth is particularly rampant on college campuses and in peer settings, with as many as one in five women and one in ten men experiencing on-campus sexual violence at least once in their academic journeys [16–18].

The impact of technology on mitigating SIV is promising. Through the use of mobile phone applications and online platforms, crucial interventions and programs have been implemented, including mapping incidents of violence, providing information and support services to victims, conducting safety assessments, facilitating relationship support interventions, and promoting behavior change programs for perpetrators [15,19,20]. However, technology can sometimes serve as a conduit for perpetrating acts of violence. A study by the Australian Institute of Criminology indicates that approximately 75% of individuals using dating applications have encountered forms of sexual violence, such as harassment and stalking [21]. Adolescents and young adults are easy targets of technology facilitated abuse (TFA), both in partnered and non-partnered contexts. The prevalence of different forms of technology-assisted sexual assault (TASA), including image-based sexual abuse, non-consensual sexting, self-produced child sexual-abuse images, online grooming (manipulating minors for sexual purposes), revenge pornography (non-consensual sharing of intimate images), and sextortion (threats to release sexual content for more material), is as high as 15.6% among the adolescent and young adult population in the United States [17,22]. In fact, one study found that youth aged 13–17 were the age group at highest risk of being victimized by technology-assisted abuse, with most perpetrators being older than this group [17].

Safety concerns may also come up in the use of technology specifically created for addressing SIV, such as personal data misuse, breaches of personal information, and increased exposure to harm if discovered by the abusive partner [23]. Survivors may face tracking, unauthorized data sharing, or retaliation if technology is misused or insufficiently protected [24]. Ethical concerns in the use of technology are particularly relevant for young users, who may not fully understand the implications of sharing sensitive personal information or may not hold complete agency in technology use [18,25]. Developmentally inappropriate and unverified content on SIV circulating on digital platforms may further make adolescents susceptible to feelings of distress, re-traumatization, and developing incorrect perceptions of consent, victim-blaming, and healthy relationships [3,18]. Addressing these issues requires robust security, age-appropriate consent mechanisms for data collection and sharing and survivor-centered design, such as anonymized reporting and trauma-informed interfaces, to ensure protection and equitable access to digital support tools [15,26]. Hence, there is a pressing need for greater caution and deliberation in utilizing technology in safe ways to address SIV [27].

Technology-based approaches to SIV typically fall into two categories: prevention and response. Prevention efforts aim to stop violence before it occurs through strategies like public education, awareness campaigns, or behavior change tools [28]. Response strategies focus on supporting individuals after violence has occurred, including reporting systems, crisis services, and access to medical, legal, psychosocial, and recovery-oriented support [29,30]. This review considers both types of interventions to understand the full spectrum of technology’s role in addressing SIV.

Ethical considerations in using technology to address SIV apply to both developers and users. Developers must ensure privacy, transparency, consent, and data protection in the design of digital tools [31,32]. Users, particularly adolescents and young adults, must be informed of their data rights and able to provide meaningful consent [31,32]. These factors are especially critical given the sensitivity of SIV and the potential for technology to both help and harm.

To optimize the safety and effectiveness of these technologies, it is essential to understand how they have supported effective prevention, response, tracking, reporting, and service delivery in various settings [33,34]. Moreover, it is important to assess whether any ethical issues have been reported during the use of such technologies, given the sensitivity of SIV. For example, some platforms have lacked sufficient anonymization or security, resulting in the unintentional disclosure of survivor identities [15]. Prioritizing robust safety and privacy measures is critical to safeguarding individuals and preventing further harm [26].

There is insufficient systematically synthesized evidence in the area of safety, privacy, and ethics for technology that seeks to address SIV, resulting in a significant knowledge gap that remains inadequately explored despite its importance [35,36]. Although a few systematic and scoping reviews have been published in recent years on the use of e-health and various technologies in addressing sexual assault, most have focused on aspects such as effectiveness, acceptability, or user experience [21,37–39]. However, no studies have systematically synthesized evidence on the safety, privacy, or ethical concerns of using technology in addressing these sensitive topics [15]. This oversight is particularly concerning given the increasing prevalence of technology-facilitated abuse, and the unintended consequences or risks associated with using technology to address SIV, posing unique challenges to survivors’ safety and privacy [40] Our study fills this gap by mapping how these safety and ethical elements are integrated into technology-based interventions targeting SIV among adolescents and young adults. Given the heterogeneous, still-emerging evidence on technology-based SIV interventions, a scoping review is an ideal method [41] to map global experiences and examine how safety and privacy issues have been considered for addressing SIV. This approach allows us to systematically explore existing literature, identify gaps in knowledge, and outline areas where further research is needed [41]. By synthesizing these insights, the review will provide a comprehensive overview of global knowledge to date and offer valuable guidance for future studies to address these critical issues effectively.

Materials and methods

This study will follow the guidelines for conducting scoping reviews outlined by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and in the PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols) checklist (S1 Table) to ensure a structured approach, transparency, methodological rigor, and comprehensive reporting, increasing the reproducibility and reliability of research findings [42–44]. A scoping review was chosen because the existing literature on technology-based prevention and responses to SIV among youth is highly diverse in design, scope, and quality. This approach allows for a comprehensive overview of the available evidence and identification of key concepts, gaps, and areas for future research, making it well suited to an emerging and interdisciplinary field.

Review questions

To explore pertinent studies and evidence, we will address the following research questions:

1. I. How has technology (e.g., mobile apps, websites, or software) been utilized to respond to and prevent SIV?
2. II. To what extent has technology been effective in facilitating incident reporting, enhancing survivor safety, and improving access to support services?
3. III. What ethical and safety considerations are associated with the use of technology to address SIV, including privacy, traceability, consent requirements, data storage, and data protection?
4. IV. How have these ethical and safety concerns been addressed in the use of technology for SIV prevention and response?

Discussion

This scoping review protocol outlines the process for examining existing literature, evidence, and best practices on the use of safe and ethical technology in addressing SIV. It will investigate whether safety and privacy issues have been considered in technological approaches for SIV prevention and response, and how these concerns have been addressed. The findings will guide the development of tools tailored to the needs of diverse populations, offering actionable insights to inform policies, guidelines, and metrics for the ethical use of technology in SIV prevention and intervention. Recommendations will emphasize data safety, privacy, and usability, and promote technology-driven solutions that are inclusive of youth with diverse identities and experiences, and effective in both preventing SIV and supporting recovery. This includes addressing user safety and privacy concerns, enhancing access to digital tools, and ensuring that technological interventions not only provide support to survivors but also help prevent future occurrences of violence.

Additionally, the study results can help us to propose strategies to engage city, state, and national governments in improving SIV reporting protocols through education and advocacy. The review aims to support technology developers, researchers, and stakeholders in advancing digital innovations while identifying gaps in current research and implementations. By synthesizing global lessons, this review has the potential to drive more equitable, secure, and effective applications of technology in addressing SIV and supporting survivors.

Conclusions

This scoping review protocol outlines a framework for exploring the global use of technology in addressing SIV. By analyzing the effectiveness, challenges, and ethical considerations of digital tools, it seeks to identify best practices and highlight critical gaps in existing literature. The findings aim to inform the development of evidence-based policies, guidelines, and technology designs for the U.S. context that prioritize safety, privacy, and accessibility, ultimately enhancing support systems and interventions for SIV prevention and response.

Supporting information

Acknowledgments

We thank Donna Hesson, MLS, at the Welch Medical Library, Johns Hopkins University, for her support in developing the search strategy for this study.