Gender differences in adolescent online victimisation and sexting expectancies

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.