CHILDHOOD ADULTIZATION AND THE LEGAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL RISKS: A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN STATE, SOCIETY, AND FAMILY

Resumo

This article analyzes how the practices of overexposure, adultification, and exploitation of the image of children and adolescents compromise the legal and psychosocial safety of minors in the digital age. Today, with technological advances and the expansion of the internet, combined with the precarious regulation of digital platforms and social networks, there are few mechanisms capable of ensuring a safe digital environment for children and adolescents. This scenario enables access to virtual materials that encourage early adultification and facilitates illicit practices involving the exploitation and distribution of content related to the sexualization of minors. The aim of this study was to develop the topic through a hypothetical-deductive research approach in order to demonstrate the responsibility of the family, society, and public authorities in ensuring a safe virtual environment for children and adolescents, concluding that this responsibility will only have a positive effect if the commitment is shared jointly among the State, the family, and society.