Monica Barbovschi

Summary This report presents the findings about Norwegian adolescents’ experiences with sexual messages, including sending/ receiving such messages, and their feelings about those experiences, drawing on data collected in 2018 in the EU Kids Online project, with 1001 children aged 9 to 17. Only adolescents 11 to 17 were asked questions about sexual messages (n=790). Although the overall percentage of adolescents who receive sexual messages has increased (32% compared to 20% in 2010), a relatively low number of younger adolescents engage in sexual communication (7% for 11-12 year olds, no increase from 2010). Part of the sexual communication Norwegian adolescents experience is consensual and part of their exploration and sexual development; however, some of it is not. Almost 25% were upset about receiving sexual messages, most of them girls. Moreover, about the same percentage were asked to send sexual information about themselves when they did not want to. Several factors were put in connection with adolescents experiencing unwanted sexual solicitations, among which: digital skills, parental mediation, (adolescents’ perceptions of a supportive) family and school environment, and cyberbullying. The results show that different adolescents are impacted differently by different factors. Experiencing online aggression (cyberbullying) has the greatest impact on adolescents experiencing unwanted sexual communication, which indicates a pattern of vulnerability which migrates across different risks. Moreover, gender differences were apparent as well, with girls experiencing more protective effects from family and school environments, as well as due to increased digital skills (only older girls). However, the same factors were not relevant for boys in terms of experiencing fewer unwanted requests. In terms of practical implications, addressing toxic peer cultures which perpetuate bullying and victimisation is needed for children to experience positive environments both online and offline. Encouraging a supportive family environment, while important for all children, is particularly relevant for boys to be able to talk about their negative experiences.

Summary This report presents the findings about Norwegian adolescents’ experiences with sexual content, including how many saw sexual content, what they consider to be sexual content, where they saw it, how they felt about it and whether their experience was intentional or not. The results are based on data collected in 2018 in the EU Kids Online project, with a representative sample of 1001 children aged 9 to 17. The findings show how the overall percentage of young people who reported seeing sexual content has decreased (40% compared to 46% in 2010), the highest decrease being noticed for the younger children (8% in 2018 compared to 20% in 2010 for 9-10 year olds, and 12% for 11-12 year olds, compared to 26% in 2010). Young people’s perceptions of what ‘counts as’ sexual content vary - some include sexual content that shows people having sex (i.e. pornography), but also images and drawings of naked people (i.e. erotic art). Norwegian children report seeing sexual content via devices connected to the internet, but also on TV, accidental pop-ups, online sharing platforms, or pornographic websites. On average, boys declared having looked intentionally at sexual content more than girls. Of those who saw sexual content, more than half declared they felt nothing special, while girls report being more upset than boys about seeing sexual content (44% versus 18%). More than half of the 9-12 year olds declare they do not know what they felt about seeing sexual content, indicating that younger children need help in discerning what feels OK and what does not feel OK for them. Several factors were investigated to understand more which children feel bothered. Girls who have lower digital skills and who report more restrictive parental mediation tend to be more upset. However, the most significant predictors of girls reporting being upset were having been cyberbullied in the past year and having seen harmful user-generated content online (i.e. ways to be very thin, ways to do self-harm). In terms of practical implications, creating spaces where conversations about sexual content and young people’s sexuality can happen is paramount for them developing positive attitudes towards sexuality and resilience in dealing with unwanted experiences. Finally, addressing poly-victimisation (i.e. the same children experiencing a range of bothersome, risky or harmful things) is needed in order to protect the most vulnerable children.