The project will shed light on how digital media has created both new opportunities and new forms of risk concerning youth sexuality.
To increase our understanding of digital media as a new arena for youth sexuality, we will investigate how youths incorporate the new opportunities created by digital media into their sexual lives, the interplay between digital and physical sexuality, and how new practices may contribute to increased sexual risk.
The project is based two existing databases that contain high-quality both qualitative and quantitative data on youth sexual practices:
- YouthSex is a qualitative database consisting of 130 semi-structured individual interviews with Norwegian youth aged 17–19 on youth sexual culture and how they negotiate, experience, and handle issues related to sexuality, sexual health, and risk.
- Youth Violence 2023 is a nationally representative, school-based survey designed to assess experiences with violence and abuse among 16–19-year-olds in Norway. The survey also included an extensive assessment of youth sexuality. A total of 16,081 youths in a nationally representative sample of schools responded to the survey.
The overall objective of the project is to advance the understanding of the duality of digital media in youths’ sexual lives as a simultaneous space of opportunity and risk. By facilitating a better and more informed societal discourse on youth sexuality, we aim to reduce the risk for youth sexual violations.
The project is funded by The Research Council of Norway, call for ground-breaking research (FRIPRO).
