Sexting, Consent and Young People: Regulatory Challenges in the Digital Age

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Context My PhD is the first study to provide a critical analysis of sexting and cyberbullying among young people (YP) under 18 years in Northern Ireland (NI) which included professional and youth voices. The thesis examined the nature and impact of peer-on-peer cyberbullying and sexting among YP and prompted important questions regarding defining and regulating such behaviours. In particular: when should sexting among YP be categorised as harmful? Most importantly, the PhD broadens current understanding of sexting among YP and presents a more nuanced approach in terms of appropriately labelling sexual behaviours among YP. The PhD argues that there is a need to move beyond framing all sexting among young people as 'harmful' and draws out the significant challenges for regulatory frameworks, especially the limitations of criminal law and the identification of young people as 'victims' and/or 'offenders.' Consequently, a continuum of sexting behaviour is introduced to provide an effective framework for categorising sexting behaviours. The continuum was based on key primary research findings and a critical overview of the relevant theory (see Beckett 2014; Ashurst and McAlinden 2015), including Hackett's (2010) continuum on sexual behaviours among children and young people. Scholarship on sexting among young people is extremely scarce and while some UK based research exists which explores the broader complexities of the sexual behaviour (see e.g. Ringrose et al. 2012; McAlinden 2018), to my knowledge, there is no published research to date within NI on consent within the context of sexting specifically.Aims of Proposed ResearchThe PDF will therefore provide a valuable opportunity to seek clarity on a significant and crucial dimension to sexting behaviour among YP: issues of consent. The PDF will allow me to undertake 2 new focus groups with YP aged 13-17 years and 5 follow-up interviews with professionals across the public and private sector exploring specifically issues of consent within the context of sexting. The age range of the YP is significant, especially regarding the varying legal age limits: the age of sexual consent at 16 years, the age a person can legally send a naked image (sexting) at 18 years and the discretion police possess when dealing with sexual offence cases involving 13-15 year olds. The 25% additional research will be used to write a chapter in the monograph based on my PhD research (due for completion in May 2021). In addition, the data obtained from the PDF will inform a 'good practice' report identifying key regulatory recommendations and an updated continuum of sexting (as originally set out in the PhD).Objectives (a) To gather additional empirical data specifically on young people's understanding of consent. This will help identify how broader issues of consent can impact on how YP define and understand 'explorative' and 'exploitative' sexual behaviour, especially within the context of sexting. (b) To use the PDF findings to inform a 'good practice' report which will include an updated continuum of sexual behaviour and key regulatory recommendations. My working assumption is that this 'good practice' report will inform and shape campaigns to incorporate 'consent' as a key feature within regulatory and legislative frameworks on sexting behaviour. (c) As well as the 'good practice' report I will use the interview findings to: (i) write a chapter for a monograph based on my PhD (the chapter will provide a more conceptual understanding on issues of consent and strengthen the overall monograph); and (ii) write an article on a key theme emerging from the PDF targeted at a leading peer-reviewed journal (e.g. British Journal of Criminology). (d) To promote PDF findings at a national and international conference and develop international networks for future collaborative projects. (e) To disseminate the PDF findings (including the 'good practice report') at an end of PDF conference at QUB.