Is Sexting More of a Virtual or Gender Challenge? Factors Behind Non-Consensual Forwarding Among Adolescents.

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Title: Is Sexting More of a Virtual or Gender Challenge? Factors Behind Non-Consensual Forwarding Among Adolescents.
Authors: Ojeda, Mónica (AUTHOR), García-Jiménez, María (AUTHOR), Durán, Mercedes (AUTHOR), Del Rey, Rosario (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Sex Research. Jul2026, Vol. 63 Issue 6, p913-926. 14p.
Subjects: Sexism, Cyberbullying, Gender differences (Sociology), Teenagers, Sexting, Consciousness raising
Abstract: The increase in unauthorized dissemination of erotic-sexual content, and the resulting forwarding chains, has emerged as a concerning manifestation of cyberviolence among adolescents that needs to be addressed. This research explored the factors associated with the persistence of involvement in, and repeated victimization through, non-consensual forwarding. A total of 2604 adolescents (53.4% female) aged 11–19 years (M = 14.89; SD = 2.04) participated. Two subsamples were identified: those who had repeatedly engaged in non-consensual forwarding (n = 213) and those who had frequently been the victim of non-consensual forwarding (n = 297). Sexism, gender, and cyberbullying proved to be the main relevant factors in the persistence of this form of cyberviolence. Specifically, both benevolent and hostile sexism predicted persistent engagement in non-consensual forwarding, although hostile sexism predicted it in boys, not girls. Cyberbullying predicted the repeated victimization of non-consensual forwarding. The co-occurrence with cyberbullying reinforces the notion that non-consensual forwarding may serve as a mechanism for victim harm. Gender and cyberbullying victimization also predicted victimization by non-consensual forwarding, but the results had very small effect sizes. These findings underline the high relevance of sexism and gender in understanding what drives adolescents to persist in non-consensual forwarding. The results are discussed in light of potential normalization processes that may underlie the repetition of these behaviors. Key elements for developing prevention programs to eradicate this type of cyberviolence among youth are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Sex Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Label: Title
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  Data: Is Sexting More of a Virtual or Gender Challenge? Factors Behind Non-Consensual Forwarding Among Adolescents.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ojeda%2C+Mónica%22">Ojeda, Mónica</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22García-Jiménez%2C+María%22">García-Jiménez, María</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Durán%2C+Mercedes%22">Durán, Mercedes</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Del+Rey%2C+Rosario%22">Del Rey, Rosario</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Sex+Research%22">Journal of Sex Research</searchLink>. Jul2026, Vol. 63 Issue 6, p913-926. 14p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sexism%22">Sexism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cyberbullying%22">Cyberbullying</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gender+differences+%28Sociology%29%22">Gender differences (Sociology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teenagers%22">Teenagers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sexting%22">Sexting</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Consciousness+raising%22">Consciousness raising</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The increase in unauthorized dissemination of erotic-sexual content, and the resulting forwarding chains, has emerged as a concerning manifestation of cyberviolence among adolescents that needs to be addressed. This research explored the factors associated with the persistence of involvement in, and repeated victimization through, non-consensual forwarding. A total of 2604 adolescents (53.4% female) aged 11–19 years (M = 14.89; SD = 2.04) participated. Two subsamples were identified: those who had repeatedly engaged in non-consensual forwarding (n = 213) and those who had frequently been the victim of non-consensual forwarding (n = 297). Sexism, gender, and cyberbullying proved to be the main relevant factors in the persistence of this form of cyberviolence. Specifically, both benevolent and hostile sexism predicted persistent engagement in non-consensual forwarding, although hostile sexism predicted it in boys, not girls. Cyberbullying predicted the repeated victimization of non-consensual forwarding. The co-occurrence with cyberbullying reinforces the notion that non-consensual forwarding may serve as a mechanism for victim harm. Gender and cyberbullying victimization also predicted victimization by non-consensual forwarding, but the results had very small effect sizes. These findings underline the high relevance of sexism and gender in understanding what drives adolescents to persist in non-consensual forwarding. The results are discussed in light of potential normalization processes that may underlie the repetition of these behaviors. Key elements for developing prevention programs to eradicate this type of cyberviolence among youth are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Sex Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/00224499.2025.2506730
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 14
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      – SubjectFull: Sexism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cyberbullying
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Gender differences (Sociology)
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      – SubjectFull: Teenagers
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      – SubjectFull: Sexting
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            NameFull: Ojeda, Mónica
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            NameFull: García-Jiménez, María
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            NameFull: Durán, Mercedes
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            – D: 01
              M: 07
              Text: Jul2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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