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Teenage digital sexual abuse

It can be a risk taking and sending a sexual picture of yourself or others but it is okay if everyone involved wants to. When it is done through pressuring someone or without permission it is illegal.

Manneskja situr flötum beinum á gólfinu með annan fótinn krossaðan yfir. Hún er leið á svip og með lokuð augun. Hún er með dökkt sítt hár, er í blárri peysu, dökkum buxum og brúnum skóm. Hún heldur hægri hendinni upp að eyranu en heldur farsímannum upp fyrir framan sig í vinstri hendinni.

You always need consent to share sexual material of other people

Some examples of digital abuse can be if someone:

  • sends you unsolicited sexual photos, videos, or messages
  • takes sexual pictures or videos of you without permission
  • shares sexual material of you on websites or with others, for example a picture, video, audio recording, or message
  • shares counterfeit sexual material of you
  • pressures you to send them nude photos or videos of yourself
  • threatens to share sexual material of you with others
  • forwards sexual material of other people if it is not known whether the person has given consent.

This is usually called digital sexual abuse because most often digital devices are used, such as the internet and phones. But the same applies to physical photographs or other material that is not digital.

Can teenagers send nude photos of themselves?

It is OK for teenagers aged 15-18 to send sexual content of themselves to others of a similar age and maturity level – if everyone consents. It is always illegal to send an unsolicited photo to someone, for example a dick pic.

Children cannot give consent and it is always illegal for adults (over 18) to make sexual materials involving children (under 18) or send them sexual material.

Get help

It is always better to tell someone if you have experienced abuse, no matter how long ago it was. It’s good to talk to an adult you trust. You can also get help in the webchat Sjúkt spjall.

If you are worried that a picture of you might be shared or you think it has been shared you can let TakeItDown know and they'll work with the social media companies to take it down.

What should you do if you experience online harassment?

Children and teenagers sometimes experience unacceptable behaviour online. For example online bullying or the sharing of sexual pictures without their permission.

See what you can do

Have you seen illegal or inappropriate content online?

You can report content to the tip line.

The reports are sent to the police. The police do not store personal information in relation to your report. If you give your name, email, or phone number, they may contact you to make the investigation easier.

A short film about digital sexual abuse

The film is based on true stories from Iceland when nude photos that are sent confidentially are shared further.

In Icelandic

How to answer inappropriate requests for nude photos

Do you need a reply for when someone sends you a nude photo that you didn’t ask for? Or when someone asks you to send a nude photo of yourself? Here are ideas of screenshots that you could answer with.

See screenshots

Do you recognize abuse?

See more stories

Andri

Andri was very happy when he swept right on the picture of Helga and found out that she was interested in him as well. They went to the same secondary school, Helga was a year older, popular and much prettier – in Andri’s opinion. They started chatting through the app and soon began flirting.

But now Andri feels really bad, Helga had asked him for a nude photo and intended to send one of herself back which she then never did. Helga sent the photo to her friends and now everyone is looking at Andri’s naked body. Helga thinks this is all funny and downplays Andri’s objections. She even posted their chat on Insta and everyone at the school has liked it.

Is this abuse? Pick your answer:

Online safety

Communication online is constantly increasing. It is important to know what behavior is not okay and what to do when digital violence happens. Learn how to improve your safety online.

Read about online safety
Manneskja horfir á símann sinn sem sýnir ólæsileg skilaboð. Hún snýr baki í okkur svo við sjáum á símann í höndunum á henni. Mikið liðað hár sveiflast í vindinum.

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is when someone makes you do something sexual that you don’t want to do, touches you, or harasses you in a sexual way.

Read about sexual abuse
Manneskja heldur fyrir augun. Hún snýr að okkur og mikið liðað hár sveiflast til hægri í vindinum.