A qualitative study of children, young people and'sexting': A report prepared for the NSPCC

Date

2012

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

Abstract

The purpose of this small scale qualitative research was to respond to and enhance our understandings of the complex nature of sexting and the role of mobile technologies within peer teen networks. It was designed as a pilot study – to investigate a phenomenon whose nature, scale and dimensions were unknown. Thus the research itself also was small in scale and exploratory in nature and also culturally and geographically specific. We conducted focus group interviews with 35 young people years 8 and 10 in two inner city London schools. At the focus groups we asked participants to friend us on Facebook, with a research Facebook profile. We then mapped some of their activities online and returned for 22 individual interviews with selected case study young people. We also interviewed key teachers and staff at the schools. While we believe that the findings that emerged are far from unique to the two year groups studied in two schools, considerable caution is needed before making any generalisations to other groups. This also underscores the urgent need for expanding the research with a broader scoped study (outlined in policy recommendations). (Author Abstract)

Description

Keywords

adolescents, self-exploitation, explicit images, research, England, International Resources

Citation

Ringrose, J., Gill, R., Livingstone, S., & Harvey, L. (2012). A qualitative study of children, young people and'sexting': A report prepared for the NSPCC.

DOI