Online sexual solicitation by adults and peers - Results from a population based German sample

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Prevalence of Internet use among adolescents is high, but little is known about the online sexual activities of German adolescents. This study aimed to describe the 12-month prevalence of German adolescents' online sexual experiences with a focus on Online Sexual Solicitation (OSS, subjectively negative online sexual experiences with a peer or any sexual online experience, positive or negative, with an adult). A sample of male and female adolescents aged 14-17 (N = 2238) was recruited using online survey panel. [...] Subjects completed an online survey reporting their online sexual activities (i.e., sexual conversation, exchanging pictures, and cybersex) with peers (14-17 y.) and/or adults (≥18 y.). Findings illustrated that 51.3% (n = 1148) of adolescents had experienced online sexual activity, which mostly involved peers (n = 969; 84.4%). In contrast, 23.2% (n = 519) of the adolescents experienced OSS with 2.6% (n = 57) reporting subjectively negative online sexual interactions with peers and 22.2% (n = 490) reporting online sexual interactions with adults, of which 10.4% (n = 51) were perceived as negative. The findings suggest that adolescents frequently engage in sexual interactions on the Internet with only a relatively small number perceiving such contacts as exploitative. In addition, females and adolescents with incomplete family situation, foreign nationality, higher education, homo- or bisexual orientation, and those without perceived social support reported OSS significantly more often. [...]

With respect to the respondents' subjective evaluation of their online sexual interactions, respondents' interactions with peers (known as well as unknown) were rarely perceived as negative experiences (5.9%). Although the percentage is higher for sexual interaction with adults (10.4%), it still appears to be seldom regarded as negative. Thus, similar to the report from Wolak, Finkelhor, Mitchell et al. (2008), the majority of adolescents engaging in online sexual activities with adults on the Internet rarely perceive themselves as victims of OSS-A.

source: Article 'Online sexual solicitation by adults and peers - Results from a population based German sample' by Halina Sklenarova, Anja Schulz, Petya Schuhmann, Michael Osterheider & Janina Neutzea; www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213417304209; Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 76, February 2018, Pages 225-236; Copied from the internet: 23 November 2017