What is it?
This report draws from young people, some with vulnerabilities, in schools across the country and gathers their thoughts and experiences of sharing self-generated explicit images, videos or live streams, and the risks associated with doing so.
The study, in partnership with Youthworks and the University of Kingston, used a robust dataset of vulnerable young people’s online experiences around sexting and sending nudes and if they faced particular repercussions as a result.
The report, published by Internet Matters, provides a glimpse of digital relationships today for young people, providing evidence on topics such as:
- flirting
- coercion and blackmail
- sharing nudes and semi-nude images and videos
- emotional health
- cyberbullying
- parental involvement
What did it find?
The research, which is part of a series from the The Cybersurvey, found that:
- sharing nude and semi-nude images and videos (or 'sexting' as it is refered to in this report) is not widespread among all teens but is more prevalent among those who are already vulnerable offline in other ways
- among those who shared nudes, 18% were pressured or blackmailed into it.
- vulnerable young people are far more likely to be pressured or blackmailed to share nudes
- some young people who share nudes within a relationship, do it for fun, or because they thought they looked good. The majority say that nothing bad happened as a result
- less than 1/3 of those who share nudes follow the online safety advice they were taught, while 14% say they did not receive it
Where to find it
You can access the Cybersurvey 'Look at me - teens, sexting and risks' report on Internet Matters' website.