Abstract:
Adolescence, as a stage of life, initiates psychosocial and psychosexual changes in teenagers. Amid the
(sometimes confusing) process of sexual development and maturation, many adolescents have access to
cutting edge media technologies and could access or be exposed to content which is sexual in nature. Sexting
refers to the sending, receiving and/or forwarding of nude or sexually suggestive photographs and/or sexually
explicit messages across social media platforms. In the case of minors, sexting is considered a criminal offence.
This article describes the gendered experiences of secondary school learners regarding online victimisation and
the expectancies (positive and negative) of sending and receiving sexts. Data was collected from 83 learners
(mean age of 14.3 years) attending two private schools in Gauteng. The self-administered questionnaire
contained standardised scales which allowed for total scores to be calculated. Significant differences featured
between male and female learners on 8 of the 14 variables measuring online victimisation, including “People
have posted rude or mean things about me online”, “People have asked me to send sexy pictures/photographs
online” and “People have continued to engage sexually with me online, even after I asked them to stop”. The
sextpectancies measure revealed gendered differences insofar as positive attitudes towards sending sexts, but
not regarding negative sentiments toward sending texts. However, gender differences featured across both
positive and negative expectancies of receiving texts. The results suggest gendered policy responses to
adolescent sexting. The challenges of gaining access to and participation by adolescents on topics of the
present nature will also be discussed.
