Young New Zealanders, Risk Perceptions and Online Sexual Harm

• In Event: Media and the Internet

Abstract

Research has consistently shown that young people spent a significant amount of unsupervised time online. As they do so, the traditional distinction between online and offline has become increasingly blurred, to the extent that it is debatable whether they are ever truly offline. This may increase the frequency of digital challenge that they experience. Young people’s vulnerability to online risks such as sexual harm has increased exponentially. The consequences of online sexual harm are devastating, yet in its prevention New Zealand lags behind international best practice. By conducting focus groups with school-aged young people and interviews with teachers and stakeholders this research investigates young people’s online behaviours, attitudes towards, and knowledge of, online risk of sexual harm. Young people’s perceptions of online risk and experiences, including a narrative focused on sexual harm, specifically sexting and revenge pornography, will be discussed. The implications of these behaviours for policing and educational strategies will also be examined. While much is being done in Australia and the UK, research in New Zealand in this area remains scant. This study addresses this significant gap in knowledge.

Author

• Claire Meehan, University of Auckland