The number of girls experiencing sexual violence in the U.S. is alarming government officials, Fox News correspondent Gillian Turner reported on "America’s Newsroom" on Tuesday.
Some 18% of young females have experienced sexual violence, including rape, in the last year alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The surge in cases so dramatic that government officials are calling it a "crisis," Turner said.
The rise in sexual violence stems from social media, Derek Gordon, D.C. Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge, told Turner.
Today, he noted, more and more teen girls are living out more and more of their lives online.
"Its easy pickings, if you will, for the pedophile," he said of bad actors singling out young women to pursue.
"It’s pretty much a dinner menu for predators," he said.
Among those who are sexually abused, 94% experience PTSD and 33% contemplate suicide, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reports.
Many victims will stay silent after an experience with abuse, say professionals.
AS EMERGENCY ROOMS SEE MORE OF AMERICA'S MENTALLY ILL KIDS, NEW STUDY PINPOINTS ISSUES
Dr. Anisha Abraham of the American Academy of Pediatrics talked to Fox News about why this is the case — noting that it may often be the potential disbelief of others, as well as victim-blaming.
"Many young people don’t really want to disclose that this is happening," she said.
Teenager Ingrid Boshoff is an eating disorder survivor and mental health advocate — telling Fox News that admitting trauma has happened can be difficult.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
"[We] live in a world that just blames the victims, for what is done to them, for everything they could have done," she said.
Teenage girls ages 16 to 19 are nearly four times more likely than anyone else to be sexually abused, according to the CDC.
Experts are saying this abuse can lead to other issues among teen girls such as dropping out of school, abusing drugs and alcohol and attempting suicide, as Fox News reported.
