Identity, Sexuality, and Relationships among Emerging Adults in the Digital Age A volume in the Advances in Human and Social Aspects of Technology (AHSAT) Book Series (original) (raw)
Related papers
Assessing the Influence of Social Networking Material on Adolescents' Sexual Behavior in Kampala
Journal of Education and Practice, 2017
Background: Social media has been used to promote risky sexual behavior in form of unsolicited photos, videos and text from peers and strangers that is not regulated by parents or guardians. Therefore, it’s important to investigate the influence of social networking material on adolescents‘ sexual behavior in Ugandan in order to close the knowledge gap. Adolescents in Uganda may be at risk of indulging in risky sexual behavior if usage of social networking sites remains unrestricted. Method s: A cross sectional study was conducted among 280 randomly selected adolescents in Kampala between August and October 2016. Results: Majority (68.9%) of the respondents thought that messages, photos, videos with sexual content shared/posted on social networking sites, changed their sexual behavior. Variables that were found to significantly explain the effect of exposure of social network content on adolescent sexual behavior, among adolescents included: Gender (male) (OR 2.646, 95% CI 1.088-6....
Social media form part of the rapid worldwide digital development that is re-shaping the life of many young people. While the use of social media by youths is increasingly researched in the North, studies about youth in the South are missing. It therefore remains unclear how social media can be included in interventions that aim at informing young people in many countries of the global South about sexual and reproductive health. This paper presents findings of a mixed-methods study of young people's user behaviour on the internet and specifically of social media as a platform for sexual health promotion in Tanzania. The study used questionnaires with 60 adolescents and in-depth interviews with eight students aged 15 to 19 years in Dar es Salaam, and in Mtwara, Southern Tanzania. Findings show that youth in Dar es Salaam and Mtwara access the internet mainly through mobile phones. Facebook is by far the most popular internet site. Adolescents highlighted their interest in reproductive and sexual health messages and updates being delivered through humorous posts, links and clips, as well as by youth role models like music stars and actors that are entertaining and reflect up-to-date trends of modern youth culture.
This paper entitled “Social Media Child in the Age of Endemic Sexuality: A Study of Secondary School Students in Kogi State” sought to ascertain the social media usage pattern of secondary school students in Kogi state; the influence of social media on their sexual attitude; and how the social media influence their sexual attitude. The study was anchored on Media Practice Model, employed survey and interview research methods using questionnaire and interview guide to generate data from 232 respondents selected from a population of 3,448 students in the four selected secondary schools in the state via a multi-stage sampling techniques. The data gathered were analyzed using both quantitative (frequency and percentage tables) and descriptive method of data analysis. Findings revealed that the students use and adopt social media sites in diverse ways; admitted that social media portend both positive and negative influence on their sexual behaviour including positive mental attitude, addiction to sex, increased desire for sex, enhanced sex education among others. The study therefore concluded that the influence of social media on sexual behaviour of the students remains undeniable considering the level of exposure and consumption of these contents by children who are usually vulnerable with a sharp retentive memory coupled with the added constructive and destructive tool of curiosity to experiment new findings. The paper therefore recommended inclusion of social media education in the academic curriculum of secondary schools in the state to enable students learn how best to put the facility to positive use; called on parents, religion leaders, and care givers to learn social media usage so as to be able to monitor the activities of their wards on social media; while all hands must be on deck for the campaign on sex education at the family level.
2015
Remarkable changes have happened in the communication industry due to the rapid growth of the social networking over the last five years. Adolescent at secondary school level are increasingly accessing and using these social networks in their daily lives. However, the impacts of their access to social media into their sexual behaviour remain underreported. This study was set to explore the relationship between social networks and sexual behaviour. The study was conducted in Morogoro and involved four secondary schools. The study adopted cross sectional research design. Simple random sampling and systematic sampling technique were used to select sample 200 students. Data analysis was done using the Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) where descriptive and inferential statistics were computed. Index scale was used to gauge students' sexual behaviour and F-test was used to compare students' sexual behaviour and their access to social media. The study found that students had risky sexual behaviour: have many sexual partners and were not using condoms consistently. Majority of students have access to social networks and access to social networks was associated with their sexual behaviour. The study recommends that more education be given to parents on the effects of their children access to social networks and their undertaking of risky sexual behaviour so that they can guide and support them on using social networks that does not expose them to unfavourable sexual contents.
2010
In this chapter the opportunities for skills building among HIV-positive adolescent boys and girls in Kenya through the use of social media to address their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and service needs will be discussed. It is based on: (1) the find ings of a diagnostic study conducted among adolescent boys and girls living with HIV in Kenya that assessed the SRH information and service needs of the adolescents with the aim of identifying and developing interventions that integrate these needs into the existing HIV and AIDS programmes (Obare and Van der Kwaak et al., 2010); (2) a workshop on Bridging and Bonding held on October 16-17 2010, in Kibera, Nairobi with 50 young people who took part in the diagnostic study; and (3) the work of the Netherlands-based Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) on mobile health (mhealth).
Effects of Adolescents Exposure to Sexual Contents on Social Media in Nigeria
The study examined the effects of adolescents' exposure to sexual contents through social media in Nigeria. Data was gathered using quantitative structured face-to-face interviews among 305 literate adolescents. They were distributed using Nigerian age-sex ratio of 51 and 49 between male and female respectively. One adolescent per house/building was purposively interviewed within randomly chosen streets in the locations of study. The study locations consist of densely populated urban areas in Lagos metropolis, Nigeria. The locations were chosen due to high proportion of adolescents in the areas according to the country's census results. Data were analysed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Common social media identified among the respondents includes Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram and LinkedIn. The result also revealed that users of social media in age group 10-14 years are 4.614 times more likely to be exposed to sexual activity at P-value = 0.000. Adolescent users of social media with primary education are 26.953 times more likely to be involved in sexual activity (P-value = 0.000). Those who use social media like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram are 6.932, 4.630, 3.566 and 2.682 times (respectively) more likely to be exposed to sexual activity compared to their counterparts that use other forms of media. The paper posits that it is inimical not to monitor adolescents' exposure to sexual contents and censor the scenes available on social media gadgets. The study recommends that sexuality education must be popularised in order to stem the risk of HIV/AIDS among the group studied.
Social media and adolescent sexuality: implications HIV/AIDS incidence in Nigeria
2013
Media roles today are becoming more worrisome with raging controversies especially in the area of sexual scenes. The study examined the effect of the silent posture of Christian religion towards the preponderance of scanty dressing, pornography (and the like) on adolescents’ sexual behaviour. 114 adolescents in age group 12-24 years were interviewed in Lagos State of Nigeria. The study revealed that level of “parent-child-communication” within the family is below average (32%). Over 69.3% claimed sermon/discussions/preaching ever heard excluded sexuality and about 52% that do, emphasizes only the “sinful” aspect rather than its social benefits. About 67% respondents have watched pornographic materials on TV in the last 3 months while two-third has experienced sexual intercourse. Indulgence in adult entertainment could be curtailed by provision of adequate sex education and open programmes on sexuality rather than the current clandestine-campaigning syndrome. Key Words: Pornography, ...
2007
This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess social media and adolescents' sexual behavior in Addis Ababa Ferehiwot No 2 secondary and preparatory school adolescent students. The study employs Use and gratification theory, social learning theory, social cognitive theory and cultivation theory to understand the issue of media content and how it influence adolescents' sexual behavior. Both qualitative and quantitative research design was applied in this study. A stratified random sampling was applied for the sample technique and among the total of 2185 study populations 120 of them participated in this study. After followed the whole ethical procedure the data was conducted by means of questionnaire and focus group desiccation. For quantitative data collection, questionnaires were adapted and for qualitative method focus group discussion was applied. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyze quantitative data and for qualitative data content analysis was applied. The finding of this study revealed that social media become extremely popular because it allows adolescents to connect in the online world to form relationship, personal issues; and also revealed a number of risks associate with social media use. Similarly the study finding ascertained that social media has contributed in enhancing or increasing the occurrence of sexually related risks like, unwanted pregnancy, sexual transmitted diseases, and abortion and school dropouts among adolescent students.
Online Mediated Sexual Activities and Behaviours Among College Students in Nairobi , Kenya
2017
Participation of young people in online sexual solicitations is a strongly emerging theme in internet and social networking related studies. However, here inKenya,studies that examine how young people engage in online solicitations that may later transform into offline sexual activities and behaviors are nonexistent.As well, studies that report on how young people participate in social networking sites’ online groups dedicated to sexuality and sexual talk is virtually missing. Descriptive survey method was used to investigate whether college students in Nairobi participate in online solicitations and online social groups dedicated to sexual talk on social networking sites. A sample comprising of 300 college students drawn from a private university college in Nairobi completed a survey questionnaire. The survey assessed participation in online groups dedicated to sex and sexually, online solicitations and offline engagement in sexual activities and behaviors as a result of such solic...
Introduction: Sex Education in the Digital Era
IDS Bulletin, 2017
Young people all over the world are keen to learn about sex and relationships but are not finding the information they seek in their immediate environment. The internet provides them with a welcome alternative. In response to the rapid increased connectivity of young people, international organisations that work on comprehensive sex education for young people have moved online. While there are new opportunities to reach young people in these digital spaces, sex educators also encounter restrictions. They face the immense power of new supranational commercial digital gatekeepers such as Facebook and Google and must respond to digitally mediated sexual and gender-based violence. This article introduces a special issue of the IDS Bulletin on experiences with internet-based sex education in 14 countries. The authors explore how familiar forms of exclusion and inequality, as well as empathy and solidarity, manifest themselves in these new digital spaces in highly diverse national settings.