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

Abstract

Interventions aimed at preventing non-consensual sharing of digital sexual images among youth often focus on (potential) victims, who are discouraged from making and sharing such images. This approach is problematic, however: it limits young people's sexual freedom, encourages victim-blaming in case of incidents, and makes perpetrators invisible. This article contributes to scholarship that shifts the focus to perpetrators, by investigating young people's motives for distributing other people's sexual images without their consent. Based on interviews with Dutch young perpetrators, victims and bystanders of non-consensual image sharing, we distinguish different scenarios of and motives for this type of sexual violence. The analysis demonstrates that non-consensual image sharing is a layered, heterogenous problem that is deeply embedded in present-day social norms regarding gender and sexuality. By disentangling the different scenarios of and motives for nonconsensual image sharing as well as the gendered sexual norms and taboos that play a role, we hope to inspire the development of sex(ting)positive, nuanced and diverse interventions for preventing this type of image-based abuse. More research is still needed, however, and in the conclusion we provide several directions for future research.

How Are Consensual, Non-Consensual, and Pressured Sexting Linked to Depression and Self-Harm? The Moderating Effects of Demographic Variables

“…In general, the present study suggests that consensual sexting might not be correlated with psychological problems in the same way that non-consensual and pressured sexting is. We propose that the non-mutuality of aggravated sexting might negatively harm adolescents’ psychological well-being and thus, disrupt normal functioning [ 12 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. More research is needed to understand whether a loss of reputation, experiences of blame, and feeling helpless might further strengthen the negative relationship between aggravated sexting and psychological health.…”

“…Forwarding sexual content without consent can damage the victim’s reputation and decrease emotional well-being [ 12 , 33 ]. This assumption is also supported by research showing that often the victims but not the perpetrators of aggravated sexting are blamed by peers and adults for the unwanted dissemination of sexually explicit pictures [ 34 , 35 ]. Victims of aggravated sexting might feel stressed by the feeling that they cannot control the situation and feel helpless.…”

“…However, gender might increase the risk of negative outcomes associated with sexting. Girls might be more vulnerable to the negative outcomes of sexting because sexting might be more damaging to their reputation, partially explained through widespread sexual double standards [ 35 , 47 , 59 ].…”

Prevalence and Correlates of Sext-Sharing Among a Representative Sample of Youth in the Netherlands

“…Retribution could also play a role in the association we found between sext-sharing and unwanted exposure to sexts. Naezer and Oosterhout Van ( 2020 ) describe that some of their respondents forwarded unsolicited sexts because they felt harassed by the sender and wanted to teach him a lesson.…”

“…Since an effective way to avoid unwanted exposure is to prevent sexts from being shared, it is important to understand the characteristics of those sharing sexts and conditions facilitating this behavior (Walker and Sleath, 2017 ; Madigan et al, 2018 ; Naezer and Oosterhout Van, 2020 ).…”