Blurred Lines? Responding to ‘Sexting’ and Gender-based Violence among Young People

• Published in: Children australia Vol. 39; no. 2; pp. 119 - 124
• Main Authors: Powell, Anastasia, Henry, Nicola
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.06.2014
• Subjects: Criminals; Domestic violence; Females; Internet; Laws; MOBILE DEVICES; Pornography; Sex crimes; Sexual Abuse; Sexual behavior; SEXUAL HARASSMENT; SEXUAL OFFENCES; Social networks; Text messaging; VIOLENCE; Young Adults; YOUNG PERSONS; AUSTRALIA; Australia; sexting; technology; sexuality; gender; youth; violence
• ISSN: 1035-0772; 2049-7776
• DOI: 10.1017/cha.2014.9

The emerging phenomenon of youth ‘sexting’ presents a range of unique legal, policy and educative challenges. In this article we consider four key issues in recent responses to youth sexting behaviours: (1) the definitional dilemmas surrounding the term ‘sexting’; (2) the inadequacy of existing legislative frameworks for responding to these behaviours; (3) the problematic messages conveyed in anti-sexting campaigns; and (4) the relative silence around gender-based violence in non-consensual and abusive encounters. We argue that the non-consensual creation and distribution of sexual images has largely been framed in public debates as a problem of youth naiveté, with the effect of censuring young women's ‘risky’ sexual behaviour, and leaving unproblematised gender-based violence. We suggest that more nuanced understandings of sexting that distinguishes between the consensual and non-consensual creation and distribution of sexual images must inform legal, policy and education-based prevention responses to the misuse of new technologies.