Conclusion: Image-Based Sexual Harassment and Abuse Affects Everyone So How Can We Best Support Young People?
摘要
Our conclusion outlines recommendations for better digital literacy and sex education that prioritize youth rights to mitigate against online harms. Our book has demonstrated how image-based sexual harassment and abuse is experienced by a wide range of young people and is a society-wide problem. The lack of consent in digital environments intersects with age old gender and sexual inequalities, creating context specific vulnerabilities amongst children and young people. We outline the type of multifaceted response needed, asking questions about how we can improve the law, big tech and education. Discussing recent changes to the Online Safety Act, and the creation of new cyberflashing and ‘intimate image’ offences, we reflect upon whether criminalisation will abate image-based abuse or not for children given they are subject to different laws. Considering the culpability of big tech companies, we suggest concrete platform specific changes including safety by design to protect kids is needed. Finally, we offer ideas of what needs to improve at the level of government support, formal sex education and digital literacy curriculum and informal education with peers, family, and parents in order to prevent image-based sexual harassment and abuse and better support young people.