海角大神

The news coverage of youth sexting here in the United States generally places it in a legal context 鈥� the life-changing harm that can result from a child鈥檚 exposure to enforcement of child pornography law. That is certainly of deep concern, especially until these laws that were designed to protect minors from sexual exploitation are revised to catch up with user-generated and distributed media.

But 鈥� to reduce harm more fully 鈥� it鈥檚 high time to consider sexting from young people's perspectives and actual experiences, and also in a psychosocial context that factors in social pressures, gender issues, and sexual health.

鈥淪exting reveals and relates to a wider [global] sexist, sexualised [consumer] culture鈥� that young people are navigating in their own social contexts now,鈥� writes the lead author of . This is so important for parents and educators to hear:

鈥淲e need gender sensitive support that does not treat sexting as the fault of girls, and also we cannot simply demonize boys. Many existing resources are based on sexual stereotypes and worst case scenarios, are moralising and implicitly place the burden of blame on girls for sending a photo, thereby reproducing the problematic message that girls are to protect their innocent virginal body from the predatory over-sexed male. This in itself is a form of victimization [of both boys and girls], which can be harmful.鈥�

Adults need to understand that 鈥渟exting鈥� is a term young people created or generally relate to and isn鈥檛 any single behavior. 鈥淲e uncovered a great diversity of experiences, which contradicts any easy assumptions about sexting as a singular phenomenon,鈥� the study鈥檚 authors write in the report. They talked with 35 young people in single-sex focus groups of two to five (some in British schools鈥� Year 8, representing 12-to-13-year-olds, and some in Year 10, representing 14-to-15-year-olds) in two inner-city schools with socioeconomically and culturally diverse student bodies. After the focus groups, the authors interviewed 22 of the young people individually.

Though the researchers caution against making generalizations from their findings, they do offer eight key findings, and I鈥檇 add two more important insights from the executive summary. The insights are:

• High-pressure social context: Few teens choose聽not聽to participate in 鈥渢he sexual banter, gossip, discussion,鈥� flirting and dating of teen sociality, 鈥渂ut to take part is to be under pressure 鈥� to look right, perform, compete, judge and be judged."
• 滨苍诲颈惫颈诲耻补濒听and听肠辞濒濒别肠迟颈惫别: Sexting鈥檚 effects aren鈥檛 limited to the people involved but 鈥減ermeate and influence the entire teen network in multiple ways.鈥�

Here鈥檚 a condensed version of the eight insights the authors gleaned:

1. The biggest 鈥渢hreat鈥� from sexting聽to teens is 鈥渟exual pressure from peers,鈥� not strangers or 鈥減redators,鈥� and what can happen with peers as a result.
2. There is no clear line between sexting and bullying. 鈥淪exting鈥� refers to 鈥渁 range of activities which may be motivated by sexual pleasure but are often coercive, linked to harassment, bullying and even violence.鈥�
3. Girls are the most "adversely affected" and sexting is 鈥渟haped by the gender dynamics of the group.鈥� The authors found 鈥渆vidence of an age-old double standard by which sexually active boys are to be admired and 鈥� sexually active girls are denigrated and despised as 鈥檚luts.'鈥�
4. 鈥淭echnology amplifies the problem:" We鈥檙e all pretty familiar with the nearly instant mass distribution that鈥檚 possible with digital technology. Hard not to agree that this, if it happens, can amplify emotional harm, but it is certainly not in itself the problem.
5. It鈥檚 the tip of an iceberg: Sexting is just part of a range of (in some cases long-standing) sexual pressures teens feel 鈥渙ppressed鈥� by, the authors report.
6. Resilience and coping skills: The researchers said they were struck that the 14- and 15-year-olds appeared as 鈥渕ature in their resilience and ability to cope鈥� as they were 鈥渟exually aware and experienced.鈥� But the 11- and 12-year-olds 鈥渨ere more worried, confused and, in some cases, upset by the sexual and sexting pressures they face, and their very youth meant that parents, teachers and others did not support them sufficiently.
7. 鈥淪exting practices are culturally specific鈥澛燽oth in terms of young people鈥檚 personal and local environment and in terms of the broader media culture.
8. Exposure is good and bad: The authors report that it鈥檚 very clear that young people need more support and education, and we all need more research. They say that, while digital media may be contributing to increased 鈥済endered sexual pressures on youth,鈥� they also expose those pressures, make them 鈥渁vailable for discussion and so potentially open to resolution.鈥�

I鈥檝e long suggested the No. 1 digital safety tip is to talk with one鈥檚 kids. This is the research version of that, and it鈥檚 just as greatly needed for calibrating our parenting and risk-prevention education. So we can follow the author鈥檚 advice and not impose even these findings on our own children, but they add nuance to the public discussion and can inform good parent-child communication too.

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