Worrying NSPCC study on young people's use of internet & mobile technology to exchange sexual messages and images.

[KRITIQ]

I'm about 2/3 of the way through the full report of this small scale (but sadly, I think representative,) study A qualitative study of children, young people and 'sexting' You can download either the full report or a summary from that page.

The report defines sexting as the ?exchange of sexual messages or images? and ?creating, sharing and forwarding sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images.? This appears to be a practice which has become commonplace and normalised amongst teenagers (and sometimes pre-teens) and is effectively a means of harassing, abusing, threatening and controlling girls and young women.

The "key messages" of the report are summarised below:

• The top messages from the research are:

• The primary technology-related threat comes from peers, not 'stranger danger'

• Sexting is often coercive

• Girls are the most adversely affected

• Technology amplifies the problem by facilitating the objectification of girls

• Sexting reveals wider sexual pressures

• Ever younger children are affected

• Sexting practices are culturally specific

• More support and resources are vital to redress the gendered sexual pressures on young people.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be on line for a few days, but I wanted to draw attention to the report and hopefully generate some useful discussion about the phenomenon. For example:

• Do you think this is as common or normalised as the report suggests, or do you think it isn't that widespread/doesn't affect that many young people?

• I'm concerned about the impact of the practice on girls' personal safety, self-esteem and confidence, as well as the early "normalisation" that abusive, controlling behaviour by men and boys is just "something you have to live with." Do others feel the same, or do they see this as a bit of childish fun - Doctors and Nurses for the 21st Century?

• Does anyone have experience of dealing with this? What did you do? What was the outcome?

• Although it's girls that get the crappiest end of this stick, there is evidence that boys are coerced by their peers to engage in sexting (i.e. harass girls to send them explicit photos, pressure them to perform sexual acts on them, share explicit images of girls and/or girls performing sex acts on them with friends, "exposing" girls by circulating explicit images of them or rumours about their sexual reputation, etc.) and risk being labelled as gay or being abused themselves for not conforming. Any ideas on what can be done not just to support girls, but also boys who don't want to go along with the crap?

Just really, really interested in perspectives and ideas from other people - particularly practical ideas on what can be done (even on a small scale, teaspoon style.) Thanks!

No ideas about what can be done, but as a mum raising 2 boys, I'll follow this with interest.

We deal with this often in school but not as often as it occours. So far I have only delt with girls who have sent inappropiate messages or sent pictures to boys they like who have then passed them on.

It's like common sense and boundaries go out the window. As long as they 'like' someone then it's ok in their minds. AS a tutor to Y10/11 so 14-16 yro I just keep reminding them not to either do it or pass anything on.

Thanks both! It's interesting what you've said about encountering this faerie.

The report talks about how girls are constantly bombarded with messages from boys to take pictures of their cleavage, breasts or other body parts and/or to give blow jobs or beats (have sex with) boys and it's conveyed by Blackberry Messaging in a public way (i.e. others in the group can see what's going on) but out of site of parents, teachers and other adults generally.

For example, during one of the 1 1/2 hour focus groups with 5 or 6 girls, 3 of them got messages of this kind. Girls reported they receive dozens of messages like this a day, often from the same boys. The pressure sounds quite incessant. Some feel they have to "give in" just to stop the harassment, or they know things will get worse, more threatening or others will also get involved if they don't. That just sounds so crap!

But, also, it seems many girls have internalised this idea that it's "normal" to send nude/explicit photos of yourself to a boy you like - that it's an ordinary part of a healthy relationship, that you should "prove" your love by doing this. Even when they know in their heads a boy could use the images against them later on, they genuinely believe that their boyfriend will not be like that.

Interviews with some of the boys in this report show that they don't seem to have such scruples. Even where they genuinely like the girl, they still think it's okay to share images of them with their friends at least, but wouldn't tell the girl. They also don't have qualms about "exposing" them if they split up or if they don't like a girl, and are fully aware that this is hurtful to the girls - in fact they admit doing it because they know it will hurt them, but they don't care. Despite admitting to coercing girls to send them such images, the same boys still blamed girls who got "exposed" by boys for being sluts or skets - that they shouldn't have sent the images in the first place.

What I'm also picking up from colleagues who work with young people is that they aren't doing much about this because particularly with over 16's, they are seeing this as a "choice" girls and boys "freely" make. If a girl wants to send an image, it's up to them. There seems to be a mass denial of the power and control going on in the background. So, when things go pear shaped, the finger of blame is pointed at the girls themselves for being "stupid enough" to take and send the images because they should "know" they could get circulated. What's being missed is the enormous pressure they are under to do this, and how they are have already been "groomed" to believe that sharing such images is normal (even when in the gut, it makes them feel bad, vulnerable, ashamed, etc.)

So, my worry is that emphasis will be placed on telling girls not to take and send images without considering the wider context. It's a variation on "slut shaming," imho.

I think it's just new technological twist on the classic teenage girl's conundrum: being pressured by horny teenage boys to do things that you are not comfortable with; being told that it will "prove" your love for them and that other girls are prepared to do it. Yet once you do those things you are blamed by the very same boys for being stupid enough to give into the bullshit.

It's as old as the hills, and it will only stop when boys are brought up to believe that girls aren't fair game rather than this "you can't blame a man for trying" crap that exists at the mo.

I finished reading the report last night and it doesn't get any better.

Messy, I agree that the social context within which this exists is not new. The report refers frequently to the 'double standard' for boys and girls. It happens in the presence of institutionalised misogyny.

What is different now though is that the technology allows boys to harass and abuse girls literally 24/7. Perhaps before, one could at least escape harassment at school by coming home. Now the blurring of electronic and real worlds means that's not possible in the same way.

Also, the harassment and sexual coercion is more public now, with boys able to share explicit stories and images with literally the whole world through BBm, Facebook exposure pages, etc. It's not possible to gather and destroy all that content. It's out there somewhere, potentially available for eemotional blackmail at any time.

Interestingly, the study found most young people found users of porn to be nerdy, sad or immature. My hunch is they learn alot of ttheir 'sexual behaviour template' from porn, but then it is expected they will engage in real life sex with girls. They won'tneed to resort to wanking with a glossy, fake porn flick.

Another concern is this is happening to younger kids than before - 11, 12 and 13. I would suggest they may not have the same emotional maturity or resilience to question what happens, nor to protect themselves, (girls from abuse, boys from being compelled by others to abuse,) as older children would.

The culture of silence for victins of sexting was also depressing. It's become so normalised that even when girls feel hurt by it, they fear the consequences will be worse if they tell.

Teachers, parents and other practitioners who work with young people are way, way behind the curve on this one. We're letting down the next generation if we don't catch up fast.

I see another thread has been started based on the same report. I'm off line probably for a few days so perhaps the discussion can go forward on there. Thanks folks for your thoughts so far.