1. Websex – Wheres The
Harm?
Prof Andy Phippen
andy.phippen@plymouth.ac.uk
© South West Grid for Learning Trust

2. Sexting Research – 20010
Analysis responses from 30 schools, years 9-11,
1,150 in total. Administered in schools.
•38% have friends who had “sexted”
•13% say it happens all the time
•56% were aware of distribution to other people in
some cases
•Majority (70%) would turn to friends if they got
into trouble.
•38% see nothing “inappropriate” about a topless
image, 14% say similar about a naked one.

3. Understanding “inappropriate”
“when they play with “a picture of someone
there virgina” having sex”
“a picture of my nan”
“a naked guy in a banana suit, some
sheep in a bath tub, somone eating
them selfs, chicks with dick.com, two
girls one cup, meat spin, lemon party…

5. Websex – Preliminary Results
950 self selecting – online survey, dissemination
via BBC
Older teens and young adults (16-24)
M/F split: 330/620

6. Positive use of tech
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50% Strongly disagree
Disagree
40%
No opinion
30%
Agree
20% Strongly agree
10%
0%
Technology has a I find it easier to Online activities Online interaction
positive impact on interact with are a regular part is an important
my relationships people online of interaction in a part of forming
© SWGfL Trust 2011 than in person relationship new relationships

7. Potential changes in behaviour?
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
Strongly disagree
30% Disagree
20% No opinion
10% Agree
0% Strongly agree
Online People can be I behave I feel there is I have had
interaction can more differently in less risk in entirely online
damage promiscuous online indulging in explicit
“offline” online than interactions online explicit relationships
relationships offline than I would in activities than with people
person there is with
“offline”
© SWGfL Trust 2011 interactions

8. Have your online activities ever caused problems/difficulties in
“offline” relationships (for example, excessive/non stop
communication, viewing pornography, flirting with other people,
inappropriate contact with other people, jealous behaviour,
etc.)?
Yes
No
© SWGfL Trust 2011

9. Problems caused

10. Contact/conduct
"Sexting" resulted in the guy demanding more, and
ignoring me in real life if I did not provide photographs
for him.
the guy i was seeing said he didnt think i could trust
hmi and the only way it would prove that i could trust
him was to send him pictures, then once i had done
that he realised if he bribed me he could get more
and he said if i didnt send more he would put the on
facebook.
i cheated on my boyfriend with a guy 2 years older
than me and my boyfriend found out and we broke
up all because of online flirting which i have to say did
turn into snogging.

11. Issues of Privacy
I have previously been so jealous when my then partner
was flirting on facebook that I hacked his email and started
checking it twice daily.
My previous relationship ended due to me constantly
being in contact with other guys online. My other half went
through all my online profiles too to find out what I had
been up to.
BF engaged in explicit webcam chat with males and
females using IM service MSN Messenger. I accidentally
stumbled across the images (taken using print screen
button) of conversations when borrowing his USB stick (the
files were hidden so I didn't see them but my graphic
software picked them up later when I was using the
program).

12. Pornography as a problem
misguided sex view from porn
Sex acts in porn which are appealing to self are
not desired by partner
Desensitised to porn to the extent that getting
arouse with a partner takes more visual and
tactile effort from a partner
I found watching too much porn online almost
numbs me to real life "porn". I realised I needed to
cut back!

13. Flirting???
Boys being boys and getting too flirty
I work on refineries and many men cheat on
there and due to me being the only under 40
female on site for 800 guys many flirted with me
sending pics of cocks and with tech it's very
easy to get carried away and with my
character being hard to be horrid put ppl down
I ended up being with my partner and having
three guys texting fb every day. Problems in my
open relationship partner who I then caught
cheating by hacking into his fb account

14. Websex – preliminary results
•29% had engaged in explicit online activities
by the age of 16 (16% 15 or under)
• Youngest: 11
•44% have met a stranger offline after an
online introduction
• 28% of those for “casual sex”
• M/F split: 44%/17%

15. Implications
Most view tech as playing a positive role in
formation and conduct of relationships
But there are areas of concern
• Causes trouble in relationships
• An increase in promiscuity?
• What is “acceptable” behaviour in technology
• The likelihood of meeting strangers following online
introduction