Nonconsensual Sharing of Private Sexually Explicit Media Among University Students

Abstract

This research was the first in the U.K. to examine the prevalence and nature of non-consensual sharing of sexually explicit messages, pictures, and videos and to examine if this varies according to gender and by role (i.e. perpetrator, victim or as dual role of perpetrator/victim). In a sample of 391 young adults (aged 18-25 years) questionnaire data on subjective norms, consensual and non-consensual sharing, and their motivations for these behaviors were collected. Perpetration of and victimization through non-consensual sharing was experienced by a substantial number of individuals. There was an association between reporting perpetration of non-consensual sharing and experiencing victimization. An association was also found between reporting being pressured (i.e., coerced) to send sexually explicit material and experiencing victimization of non-consensual sharing, which suggests that these behaviours may form part of a continuum of violence and abuse, potentially within intimate relationships. No association was found between gender and (i) perpetration or (ii) victimization.However, from a gendered perspective, females perceived there was greater social pressure to post messages, pictures and videos, compared with males. Motivations for non-consensual sharing were commonly explained as for fun/a joke, and generally not thought of as problematic, although some victims perceived motivations to be more negative and/or related to revenge/causing distress. Given that this research examined non-consensual sharing across messages, pictures and videos for both victimization and perpetration and found it was both perpetrated and experienced by females and males, this does not support the common perception that this is a male perpetrated behaviour against women. This has implications for education, policy, intervention and prevention, with approaches needing to be inclusive of both males and females when addressing perpetration and victimization.

Only sluts love sexting: youth, sexual norms and non-consensual sharing of digital sexual images

“…Furthermore, perpetrators were not just boys, but also girls. In our study, 9 out of 15 perpetrators were girls (for similar findings among young adults in the UK, see K. Walker, Sleath, Hatcher, Hine, & Crookes, 2019). Even though our study is not a representative, quantitative study, we consider this to be an important signal that deserves more attention in present day discourse about sexting-abuse.…”

“…This diversity in young people's motives demonstrates that young people who distribute other people's images do not necessarily act from malevolent intentions, as also became clear from a quantitative study among Australian youth (Clancy, Klettke, & Hallford, 2019), where almost 4 out of 5 participants who had disseminated other people's images indicated that they 'didn't think it was a big deal', or felt that it was just a 'joke', or 'funny' to disseminate the images (for similar findings among young adults in the UK, see K. Walker et al, 2019). This is not to say that the consequences may not be disturbing, but the general lack of bad intentions is an important nuance that helps to address the issue in a more balanced way.…”

Sext Dissemination: Differences across Nations in Motivations and Associations

“…To understand sext dissemination behaviours, it is important to consider the underlying motivations. Only four empirical studies to date have explicitly explored sext dissemination motivations: three with young adult populations [5,6,18] and one investigating adolescents [19]. Among young adults, dissemination prevalence rates were similar across genders, ranging from 16 to 19%.…”

“…For adolescents, 15% reported having shared images, with boys significantly more likely (21%) than girls (9%) to have done so [19]. Motivations or rationalisations for sext dissemination were generally self-reported as relatively innocuous, with the most frequent self-ascribed motivations including "for fun, as a joke", that it "was not a big deal", or "because the person was hot" [5,6,18]. Similar motivations were reported by adolescents, specifically for fun or as a joke, showing off, and not realising what they were doing [19].…”

“…In summary, prior empirical investigations of sext dissemination have assessed its association with personality variables, subjective norms and attitudes, and behavioural and motivational factors. Whilst the literature is limited, there appear to be relationships between dissemination and behavioural norms, such as receiving disseminated images and normalising dissemination, fostering the perception that it is not a big deal [5,6,18]. Despite evidence that dissemination rates differ across countries, no cross-national comparisons of dissemination motivations are available.…”