Violence and sexual abuse rates before and during the Covid-19 pandemic: A prospective population-based study on Norwegian youth

•We found a slight increase in sexual abuse towards adolescents during the first year of the pandemic, and a decrease in psychological violence.•Risks associated with child abuse were more pronounced during the pandemic compared to the year prior to the pandemic outbreak.•Monitoring child abuse rates is paramount in order to develop targeted interventions to prevent and stop child abuse. Crises like a pandemic underscores the importance of such monitoring.