Pornography, Sexual Coercion and Abuse and Sexting in Young People’s Intimate Relationships: A European Study

Abstract

New technology has made pornography increasingly accessible to young people, and a growing evidence base has identified a relationship between viewing pornography and violent or abusive behavior in young men. This article reports findings from a large survey of 4,564 young people aged 14 to 17 in five European countries which illuminate the relationship between regular viewing of online pornography, sexual coercion and abuse and the sending and receiving of sexual images and messages, known as “sexting.” In addition to the survey, which was completed in schools, 91 interviews were undertaken with young people who had direct experience of interpersonal violence and abuse in their own relationships. Rates for regularly viewing online pornography were very much higher among boys and most had chosen to watch pornography. Boys’ perpetration of sexual coercion and abuse was significantly associated with regular viewing of online pornography. Viewing online pornography was also associated with a significantly increased probability of having sent sexual images/messages for boys in nearly all countries. In addition, boys who regularly watched online pornography were significantly more likely to hold negative gender attitudes. The qualitative interviews illustrated that, although sexting is normalized and perceived positively by most young people, it has the potential to reproduce sexist features of pornography such as control and humiliation. Sex and relationships education should aim to promote a critical understanding of pornography among young people that recognizes its abusive and gendered values.

Image-based sexual abuse: The extent, nature, and predictors of perpetration in a community sample of Australian residents

“…The majority of quantitative research in the broader field on technology and intimate relationships has been on 'sexting' (the sending and/or receiving of nude or sexual images or texts) among adolescents (see e.g. Crofts, Lee, McGovern & Miliovojevic 2015;Patrick, Heywood, Pitts & Mitchell 2015;Stanley et al 2018;Villacampa 2017). While most of this research has focused on consensual forms of sexting, some studies have also sought to investigate the prevalence of 'non-consensual sexting', where images are either taken or shared without consent.…”

Predicting the Willingness to Engage in Non-Consensual Forwarding of Sexts: The Role of Pornography and Instrumental Notions of Sex

“…The lack of research on mass media content as a predictor of NCFS specifically is surprising given our knowledge on how mass media messages can predict harmful sexual behavior (Wright, 2011). More specifically, sexual harassment, both online and offline, has been associated with exposure to content that is said to promote such behavior, such as online pornography (e.g., Owens, Behun, Manning, & Reid, 2012;Stanley et al, 2016;Thompson & Morrison, 2013; see also Flood, 2009 for a review). However, these studies have not focused on (sexually explicit) media use in relation to (the willingness to engage in) non-consensual forwarding of sexts specifically.…”

Sexual Coercion by Women: The Influence of Pornography and Narcissistic and Histrionic Personality Disorder Traits

“…Research has historically focused on the manner in which exposure to pornographic material influences men's sexual attitudes and conduct. For example, it is argued that men's use of pornography is related to sexual objectification of partners (Tylka, & Kroon Van Diest, 2015) and sexually coercive behavior (Stanley et al, 2018). Compulsive consumption of pornographic material, in particular, may be closely related to men's sexually aggressive behavior (Gonsalves, Hodges, & Scalora, 2015).…”