In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the number of reported cases of sexting among teenagers. This form of activity can be defined as the production, distribution, and redistribution of sexual content (photos, videos, etc.) among young people via information and communication technologies.
Most of the time, these situations begin outside of structured school hours, in the evenings and on weekends, in young people’s homes. These behaviours often have very negative repercussions on school life. A great deal of tension is felt in the environment and psychosocial impacts ensue.
These behaviours are becoming increasingly widespread and worrisome for young people, families, and school and legal professionals. Very often, the repercussions cause a shock wave in the school environment and the situation must be dealt with right away.
We believe that a coordinated and concerted problem-solving approach makes it possible to establish a strategic intervention plan to quell this scourge. It is essential to work in partnership in order to be better equipped to deal with the cases that come before us and to address them in a more consistent manner.
The SEXTO project offers school stakeholders the use of an intervention kit to make them better equipped to respond to sexting in schools.
WHAT IS SEXTING?
The phenomenon of sexting among teenagers is defined by the fact that a young person under the age of 18 creates, possesses, or shares sexual photos or videos among peers via information and communication technologies. The word sexting, which is a contraction of the words “sex” and “texting”, refers to a multimedia message of a sexual or erotic nature.
The consequences of sexting and the dissemination of sexually explicit photographs (sexting messages) can have serious impacts for the young people involved, both in their school and family environments, and the repercussions can be disproportionate in some cases.
The impacts can be significant both physically and psychologically, and may include loss of self-esteem, dropping out of school, depression, isolation, or even suicidal ideation. Legal and financial consequences may also arise, depending on the outcome of the case. These sequences of events can affect the young people involved, the witnesses, and the instigators, not to mention the victims and the school and family environments. It is therefore important to undertake effective, rapid, well-coordinated measures in close collaboration with the various interested parties.