LGBTQ+ adolescents 'at particular risk' of non-consensual sharing of sexual images

One of the report's authors said: “Responsible photo and image and video sharing is everyone’s problem. Disseminating and sharing people’s images without the person’s consent can be a violation. Even if people shared it with good intentions, they can re-violate a person.” File picture

Adolescents in the LGBTQ+ communities are “at a particular risk of being the target of non-consensual dissemination of sexual images”, according to a new report from the Anti Bullying Centre in Dublin City University.

The report, Non-consensual Dissemination of Sexual Images Among Adolescents: Associations With Depression and Self-Esteem, highlights that non-consensual sharing of sexual imagery – including video – can impact the mental health of the person in the imagery. It found that 6.5% of participants had their sexual pictures shared without their consent at least once in their lives.