Devices, DMs and D**k Pics: Youth Experiences of Cyberflashing and Missing Safety Nets - Livestream

Adolescence is a period of increasing autonomy, identity exploration, and desires for physical and emotional intimacy. It is also when almost all youth have access to both a personal mobile device and social media accounts. One way such digital connectivity intersects with adolescent development is the high use of digital methods of communications, including the sending and receiving of sexual images, videos, or text, known as sexting. Extant research finds that sexting, at least for some, is part of normative sexual development (e.g., sharing with close friends or romantic partners, exploring, questioning), but it can also increase image-based sexual abuse (IBSA: e.g., cyberflashing, sextortion, cyberbullying). This study describes two exploratory studies - of adolescents’ (11-18 years) experiences of sexting and IBSA and of pediatric emergency providers’, as first responders, familiarity and comfort with identify and supporting IBSA in their practice. The talk concludes with recommendations for much-needed structures for supporting adolescents’ safety and wellbeing in a digital age.

Speaker: Stephanie Reich, UC Irvine

In-person attendance limited to Stanford affiliates.