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Digitally mediated communication and school-based sex education in the USA

Bibliographic Data

ID19515217
AuthorsD Pinsky (0000-0002-4909-3119, Arcadia University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume23
Issue5
Pages556-569
Publication date2023-09-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSex Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1468-1811 • E-ISSN: 1472-0825
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14681811.2022.2098469
OpenAlexW4285394921
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited38

Digital technology has become central to how adolescents explore their developing sexuality and form relationships with peers, including romantic and sexual relationships. Interviews with 110 high school and college students in the Northeastern USA identified how digitally mediated communication is a fundamental part of adolescent flirtation practices, with young people making use of digital affordances to mitigate the interpersonal risks associated with flirtation. The ‘screen’ is seen as a protective barrier against the emotional vulnerability and embarrassment that can occur during in-person flirtation. Gender and sexual minority youth also appreciate how digitally mediated intimacy protects them from threats to physical safety in a hetero-patriarchal world. By contrast, adults perceive cell phones and social media as sites of risk for young people. Teenagers are portrayed in the media as the hapless victims of technology rather than agentic creators of digital sexual cultures. Their digital interactions, especially when sexual in nature, are highly regulated and subject to social control. This focus on technological risk blinds educators to exploring the ways in which new technology is integrated into adolescents’ socio-sexual lives. To be effective, school-based sex education must engage creatively with the role of digitally mediated communication in adolescents’ romantic and sexual lives

Affordance · Computer security · Developmental psychology · Digital media · Embarrassment · Human sexuality · Interpersonal communication · Political science · Romance · Social media · Sociology · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology

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  • Active, Passive, and Non-Sexting Adolescents

    Open Access•Katharina Brand, Sascha Hein et al.•Archives of Sexual Behavior•2026

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    Open Access•Anne Groggel•Symbolic Interaction•2023

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    Open Access•Katharina Brand, Sascha Hein et al.•International Journal of Sexual…•2026

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    Open Access•D Pinsky•Sexualities•2025

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    Monica M Moore•The Journal of Sex Research•2010

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  • Safe on My Phone? Same-Sex Attracted Young People's Negotiations of Intimacy, Visibility, and Risk on Digital Hook-Up Apps

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Unique citing works6
Citations per year2
Citation span2023 - 2026 (4)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 6
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