Sexting, the act of sending sexually explicit messages, photos, or videos via electronic devices, can have serious negative consequences for individuals involved. Here are some potential dark sides of sexting:Several studies have identified a relationship between cyberbullying and sexting behaviors. Fahy et al.’s investigation emphasizes the high prevalence of cyberbullying and the potential of cyber-victimization as a risk factor for future depressive symptoms, social anxiety symptoms, and below average well-being among adolescents. Their results show that cyber-victims and cyberbully-victims were significantly more likely to report symptoms of depression and social anxiety.
Victimization through sexting can take many forms, including: Coercion, Exploitation, Revenge, Cyberbullying
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sexting as a tool for victimisation.pdf
1. SEXTING AS A TOOL FOR
VICTIMISATION
By:Avni Narula, Diaa Bansal, Jiya Arora, Vidushi Pal, Yashaswi Bindal
2. What is sexting?
The Dark Side of Sexting
Why sexting is a crime?
Legal Consequences
Preventing Sexting
Victimisation
Supporting Victims of
Sexting
Conclusion
3. What is sexting? The term sexting was first used in
2005 by the Daily Telegraph, to unify
the terms “sex” and “texting” and
became an official word in 2009 . It is
generally known as “Sending and
receiving sexual content (e.g., photos,
videos) via the Internet and mobile
phones”, but there is no consensus
around the definition of the term
sexting in the scientific community.
4. Sexting as
victimization
Several studies have identified a relationship
between cyberbullying and sexting behaviors.
Fahy et al.’s investigation emphasizes the high
prevalence of cyberbullying and the potential of
cyber-victimization as a risk factor for future
depressive symptoms, social anxiety symptoms,
and below average well-being among
adolescents. Their results show that cyber-
victims and cyberbully-victims were significantly
more likely to report symptoms of depression
and social anxiety.
Victimization through sexting can take many
forms, including: Coercion, Exploitation, Revenge,
Cyberbullying
5. Forms of Sexting
Text messages: Sending sexually explicit or
suggestive messages via text is one of the most
common forms of sexting.
For example - Last night I had the wildest dream…
and you were in it!
Photos: Sending nude or partially nude photos is
another form of sexting. This can be done through
text messages or through social media platforms
such as Snapchat, Whatsapp, Instagram
Videos: Sending sexually explicit videos is also a
form of sexting. This can be done through video-
sharing platforms like TikTok or Instagram.
6. Forms of Sexting
Voice messages: Sending sexually suggestive
or explicit voice messages is another form of
sexting. This can be done through messaging
apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger
.
Emojis and GIFs: Using suggestive or explicit
emojis and GIFs in messages is another form
of sexting.
7. Prevalence Of
sexting?
One of the first published studies on youth sexting was
conducted in 2009 before the current prolific use of
smartphones among youth. Among youth aged 12 to 17
years, results indicated that 4% reported sending and
15% reported receiving nude or seminude images. A
2012 study revealed a low prevalence of sexting among
participants aged 10 to 17 years, with 2.5% and 7.1% of
predominantly older youth sending and receiving sexts,
respectively. That study had notable strengths,
including a nationally representative sample, an explicit
definition of sexting, and a wide age range.
9. Sexting, the act of sending
sexually explicit messages,
photos, or videos via
electronic devices, can
have serious negative
consequences for
individuals involved. Here
are some potential dark
sides of sexting:
Non-consensual sharing
Relationship problems
Mental health issues
Reputation damage
10. Sarah had been dating a boy named Alex for a few months, and they had
exchanged intimate photos with each other. However, after they broke up, Alex
began using the photos as leverage to control and manipulate Sarah. Alex would
threaten to share the photos with Sarah's classmates and family if she didn't do what
he wanted. He also demanded that she send him more explicit photos and videos.
Sarah was scared and felt trapped, so she complied with his demands. As time went
on, Alex's demands became more and more extreme. He would ask Sarah to perform
sexual acts on camera and share the videos with him. He also began sharing the
photos and videos with his friends and posting them on social media. Sarah was
devastated and didn't know what to do. She was afraid that her classmates and
family would find out about the photos and videos. She was also ashamed and felt
like she had no one to turn to. Sarah's mother eventually found out about the
situation when she noticed that Sarah was acting differently and not engaging in
activities she used to enjoy. Sarah's mother contacted the school and the police, and
they were able to intervene and stop the victimization. However, the damage had
already been done. Sarah's self-esteem was shattered, and she struggled with
depression and anxiety. It took a long time for her to rebuild her confidence and trust
in people.
Case Study
12. Sophie, a 16-year-old girl, had been using social media for a few years
to keep in touch with friends and share photos of her life. However, one
day she began to receive negative and hurtful comments on her posts.
The comments started off as mild insults but then escalated to threats
and personal attacks on her character. Sophie tried to ignore the
comments at first, but they continued and soon other people started
joining in, amplifying the abuse. The situation became so bad that
Sophie was afraid to use social media and started to isolate herself from
her friends and family.
CASE STUDY
15. What are the
Legal consequences?
Legislature has passed following Acts i.e. The Information
Technology (IT) Act, 2000 and The Protection of Children
from Sexual Offences (POCSO Act) Act, 2012 wherein
punishments and legal actions has been clearly defined.
The Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000.
Section 66E: Punishment for violation of privacy
Section 67: Punishment for publishing or transmitting
obscene material
Section 67A: Punishment for publishing or transmitting of
material containing the sexually explicit act, etc., in electronic
form
Section 67B: Punishment for publishing or transmitting of
material depicting children in sexually explicit act, etc., in
electronic form
Section 14 and 15: Child pornography
Under section 14(1): The use of a child or children for
pornographic purposes is punishable with imprisonment
upto five years along with fine
19. Preventing sexting for minors:
Typically, sexting takes place in private and is therefore
difficult to prevent, but the spread of sexts and the
bullying that ensues occurs within schools and other
organizations. The largest ramification from having a
sext exposed, aside from the embarrassment, is the
bullying and cyber-bullying that ensues.Sexting can
have serious social and legal consequences. You might
be worried and unsure what you can do. There are ways
to support them to stay safe.
20. Tell them that sexting is illegal and images can be difficult to remove once
posted
Give them clear expectations about how they use their mobile phones
Advise them to report ‘strange’ behaviour online just like they would offline
Don’t minimise sexting as a “prank”
Have open discussions about who they talk to online
Talk through their experience or what they've heard about sexting
Try not to use labels like “promiscuous” when talking about sexting
It's important to remain calm and approachable and let them know you
care
Reassure them that talking about sexting doesn’t mean they have to give up
their phone/device
21. if a sexting incident is uncovered within your organisation there are a few steps
you can take in an attempt to help reduce the damage as well as protect your
organisation.
Another way to avoid any
negative legal ramifications is to
only confiscate devices
suspected of containing
sexually suggestive images and
then allow law enforcement
personnel to search the device.
If you or anyone in your organization
uncovers a sext make sure to never forward,
copy, transmit, download, store, transfer, or
share the image in any way with a non-law
enforcement individual. Any of the
aforementioned actions may lead to felony
child pornography charges if the images are of
a minor, even if the sharing occurred with the
best intentions. Criminal charges can still
apply even if the image is of someone over the
age of 18.
22. if a sexting situation is uncovered, one of
the first steps should be to identify and
contact the victim and make their families
aware of the situation. Again, do not share
the images. Leave that up to law
enforcement.
The next step should be to identify the
individuals that disseminated the images.
Once identified, it will be easier to determine
how much it spread and how many people
are involved. Inform the guardians of the kids
involved.
All organizations should have a clear anti-
bullying/anti-harassment policy that spells
out a zero-tolerance policy for distributing
sexting images and states that cell phones
and computers can be confiscated and
searched if a suspected incident has
occurred
Finally, contact law enforcement so they
can conduct a thorough investigation,
review texts, check call logs to help
control the spread of images, and help
delete all those that exist.
23. SUPPORTING VICTIMS OF SEXTING
Listen without judgement
Validate their feelings
Offer resources
Help them take
necessary actions
Respect their privacy
24. Conclusion
Sexting may seem like a harmless way to express oneself or connect with others, but it can have severe
consequences. The act of sending or receiving explicit content can lead to embarrassment, humiliation, and
even legal troubles. It is essential to educate oneself on the potential risks and consequences of sexting and
to think twice before engaging in this behavior. As individuals, we must take responsibility for our actions and
understand that what we share online can have lasting consequences that may impact our personal and
professional lives. Ultimately, it is crucial to prioritize our safety and well-being over any temporary pleasure
or excitement that may come from sexting.
