This study examined how professionals who work with youth who have engaged in problematic sexual behavior perceive and conceptualize youths’ sexual behavior via electronic and online media.
Over the past decade, internet access has become deeply ingrained in the daily lives of individuals across the world, with particularly rapid growth in its use by children and adolescents. In the United States, 45 percent of teens report using the internet “almost constantly” (Anderson et al., 2018). With such increased availability of technology, there are concerns about how easily youth can engage in sexual behaviors online or via electronics, such as viewing pornography or “sexting.” Despite this increased concern, many professions responsible for youth (e.g., schools, law enforcement, and child welfare) are faced with navigating and guiding youths’ online behavior. In addressing this issue, the current study conducted qualitative interviews with 36 professionals from various disciplines across eight sites. Participants were asked about their perceptions of youths’ use of technology; changes in rates of electronic and online sexual behaviors over time; the severity, frequency, and impact of the behavior; and typical community responses to the behavior. Stakeholders perceived youths’ engagement in electronic and online sexual behaviors to be frequent, increasing, and concerning; however, they reported the lack of clear protocols for determining the severity of these behaviors and for guiding professional responses to it. The Implications of these findings for prevention efforts, future research directions, and policy development are discussed. (publisher abstract modified)