Abstract
Sexting has become a new form of intimate interaction in line with contemporary communication methods. This phenomenon often leads to positive outcomes, but it can also have negative repercussions depending on the situation, such as the context of the relationship, and whether it is consensual or coercive. Despite this, the main types of sexting behaviors (sending, receiving, and third-party forwarding) must be addressed in order to promote safe and healthy practices. However, the approach to tackling this phenomenon remains unclear. This systematic review sought to summarize the lines of action proposed or conducted in the scientific literature to address sexting, to help researchers and educators create and evaluate effective programs. A systematic search of 21 databases was conducted; only articles relating to sexting education, prevention, and intervention among child and adolescent populations were considered. In total, 456 articles were identified, 91 of which were included for the purposes of this research. The results highlighted a need to respond to the aforementioned sexting behaviors and to tackle the resulting conflict situations. Although interventions across different areas are recommended (e.g., health, family, policies, legal advice, law enforcement, technology experts, and even society as a whole), most studies agree that school is the most practical setting for intervention. Thus, the 15 lines of action identified in this systematic review must all be considered to effectively address sexting in childhood and adolescence.
Highlights
Social networks and digital media have become a major part of our daily lives, exerting an increasingly significant impact on individuals in general and, on adolescents (Smith et al, 2016)
In an effort to bridge this gap, this study aims to systematically describe the available scientific evidence outlining the effective lines of action to tackle sexting
29.7% of articles mention text messages, pictures, and videos; 29.7% refer only to pictures; 28.4% refer to text or picture messages; 6.8% refer to sexual content in general but do not specify the content; 2.2% refer to pictures or videos; and 2.2% refer only to text messages
Summary
Social networks and digital media have become a major part of our daily lives, exerting an increasingly significant impact on individuals in general and, on adolescents (Smith et al, 2016). Adolescents can explore their sexuality in new ways, redefining and normalizing more Concerns about this phenomenon have grown, and it has attracted considerable attention from researchers, families, teachers, schools, and the media (Anastassiou, 2017; Gewirtz-Meydan et al, 2018; Van Ouytsel et al, 2015). This has occurred as a consequence of its potential negative impact and the effects it can have on adolescent well-being, where sexual content is disseminated without consent or where teens feel peer or partner pressure to engage in sexting behaviors (Klettke et al, 2014; Olivari & Confalonieri, 2017; Schubert, 2014). Even teachers agree that sexting could cause classroom disruption (O’Bannon & Thomas, 2014)
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