The internet has made it easier for youth to access information about gender, sexuality, and relationships. Such exposure has changed the way children develop identities, explore romantic connections, and learn about human sexuality. This section of of “Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence” discusses these cultural shifts by overviewing media and pornography representations of gender and sexuality, youth online sexual practices, and the impact of this content on youth well-being. While access to this content has the potential to assist youth with their development, the authors acknowledge that the content might also promote inaccurate information or stereotypes. A drawback to online spaces that include communication is they provide bad actors with opportunities to prey on youth. As a result, youth need guidance when navigating these spaces. To prepare young people to safely explore these experiences online, key stakeholders in youth well-being must develop inclusive digital literacy programs and encourage youth participation in content creation.
Recommendations
The following recommendations are excerpts from the "Gender, Sexuality, and Digital Media" section of the “Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence." This open access publication is free to download in full or by individual chapters via the links provided following the recommendations below.
- Stay informed about media’s role in gender and sexuality development and aware of available resources for youth and families.
- Guide youth in finding and vetting online sexual health information.
- Discuss teens’ online sexual experiences with them in nonjudgemental ways.
- Understand how to address issues around problematic pornography use, nonconsensual sexting, online sexual harassment, and sexual health needs for youth.
- Co-create inclusive evidence-based resources with LGBTQ+ youth.
- Complete training for delivering accurate and culturally sensitive information to LGBTQ+ youth.
- Begin online safety conversations early with children.
- Discuss what healthy sexual relationships look like with adolescents.
- Understand how online pornography and other representations of sex and sexuality online or in media impact children.
- Openly communicate with youth about their digital tech use.
- Implement comprehensive, evidence-based sexuality education across multiple years, utilizing age-appropriate information.
- Develop student conduct policies that address students’ use of pornography, sexting, and dating apps at school.
- Create media literacy initiatives that promote positive portrayals of gender and sexuality.
- Offer youth inclusive sexual health digital literacy programs.
- Include empirically supported, non-judgmental information about pornography in school-based sexuality education.
- Co-create online relationship curricula with adolescents.
- Educate youth on how to navigate interpersonal interactions safely.
- Acknowledge and address health disparities of LGBTQ+ youth, and consider how these unique challenges may be impacted by broader regulation of online spaces.
- Ensure all youth have equitable access to the internet, digital literacy education, and accurate resources about healthy sex and sexuality.
- Protect adolescents from criminalization for appropriate exploratory behavior.
- Encourage funding for longitudinal research on effects of gender and sexual representations on youth.
- Communicate and work with LGBTQ+ youth to understand their needs.
- Acknowledge that enhancing youth safety on digital devices often inhibits the safety of LGBTQ+ youth.
- Promote parity in gender and sexual identity representation and minimize stereotypes.
- Expand positive portrayals of diverse gender and sexual identities.
- Expand data collection methods and research designs, including qualitative and mixed methods, longitudinal, and interdisciplinary approaches.
- Ensure strong ethical practices are used when engaging youth in research.
- Explore the impacts of intersectionality both in media representations and youth experiences.
Gender, Sexuality and Digital Media Section Chapters
Introduction to the Section on Gender, Sexuality, and Digital Media
Megan Maas, PhD
Representations of Gender and Sexuality in Youth Media
Jennifer Stevens Aubrey, PhD, Megan K. Maas, PhD, Sophia Choukas-Bradley, PhD, Sarah Coyne, PhD, Meenakshi Gigi Durham, PhD, Tracy M. Scull, PhD, Johanna M.F. van Oosten, PhD, L. Monique Ward, PhD
Gender and Sexuality: LGBTQIA+ Youth Experiences
Lauren B. McInroy, PhD, Kathryn Macapagal, PhD, Oliver W. J. Beer, PhD, Claire Coyne, PhD
Pornography Use During Adolescence: The Current State of Knowledge and Recommendations
Megan K. Maas, PhD, Paul J. Wright, PhD, Emily F. Rothman, ScD, Kimberly M. Nelson, PhD, MPH, Paul Weigle, MD, Debby Herbenick, PhD, MPH
Sexual Health Information Online
Eric R. Walsh-Buhi, PhD, MPH, Hannah Javidi, PhD, Kathryn Macapagal, PhD
Online Sexual Communication and Partner Seeking Among Adolescents
Kathryn Macapagal, PhD, Val Wongsomboon, PhD, Jacob D. Gordon, PhD, Kimberly M. Nelson, PhD, MPH, Laura M. Widman, PhD
It’s Not Just Sexting: Adolescents’ Experiences with Exchanging and Disseminating Nude Images
Joris Van Ouytsel, PhD, Megan Maas, PhD, Bianca Klettke, PhD, Elizabeth M. Clancy, PhD, Jeff R. Temple, PhD
Cyberbullying and Digital Cruelty: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part Two: Research on How Media Influence Relationships, Family, Culture, and Society, Cyberbullying and Digital Cruelty Section (pages 427-463)
Digital Media and Mental Health: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part One: Research Concerning Cognitive, Physical, Mental, and Psychosocial Impacts on Children, Digital Media and Mental Health Section (pages 117-172)
Youth Digital Wellbeing: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part One: Research Concerning Cognitive, Physical, Mental, and Psychosocial Impacts on Children, Youth Digital Wellbeing Section (pages 211-259)
Media Policy: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part Two: Research on How Media Influence Relationships, Family, Culture, and Society, Media Policy Section (pages 465-514)
Parenting in the Digital Age: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part Two: Research on How Media Influence Relationships, Family, Culture, and Society, Parenting in the Digital Age Section (pages 371-425)
Education Technology: Summary and Recommendations
Summary and Recommendations found in the "Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence," Part Three: Digital Domains, Education Technology Section (pages 517-567)
Boys, Health, and Digital Media
Digital media's effects on boys' health and development: a guide from the experts
Youth Anxiety, Depression, and Digital Media
What parents and educators need to know about media use and youth suffering from anxiety and depression.
The New Sex Educator? Online Sexual Content and Today’s Youth
How much and how easily are youth accessing sexual content online? How does what they view shape their perception of “normal” in romantic and sexual relationships? Is the increasing prevalence of AI playing a role?
Bringing Up Boys in a Digital World
How does the prevalence of pornography, video games, and violent media content affect boys’ mental health and behaviors, and how can parents and educators help male youth engage more thoughtfully with the media influences in their lives?
Mirror, Mirror, in My Palm: Girls and Media
How does online media affect girls' mental and physical health as they navigate through the increasingly tricky waters of social media and digital interactions?
The Birds and the Bees: Sexuality and Screens
Media is playing an increased role in shaping youth sexual education and norms - what are kids seeing online? Experts share research and practical strategies on how to navigate parent-child conversations about media and still-developing sexual interests, identities, and behaviors.