On Tuesday, 27 September, the Regional Observatory on Violence Against Women at the Hubertine Auclert Centre, the Île-de-France centre for gender equality, published the first study on gender-based violence, particularly online sexism, among adolescents aged 12 to 15. Although girls appear to be particularly vulnerable, boys are also victims of this cyber violence.
The observation of digitalised gender-based violence
The Hubertine Auclert Centre defines cybersexism as «violence that takes place in cyberspace with the aim of insulting, humiliating, spreading rumours, ostracising, exerting external coercion and contaminating the physical («offline») space or vice versa». According to the study, three girls and two boys per class are victims of cybersexism, or 17% girls and 11% boys.
This digital violence takes the form of photos, videos, or text messages, with girls most often being the victims (girls are twice as likely as boys to be affected by cyber sexism). Girls are insulted with terms such as «slut» or «whore» (22% of those surveyed) and are judged on their physical appearance (20%); boys, meanwhile, are the target of homophobic insults (14.1%). However, teenagers rarely talk about this form of harassment.
Because it relates to their private lives (first romantic relationships, discovery of sexuality) or out of shame, 1 in 4 students who are victims of violence, whether online or offline, do not talk to anyone about it. Those who do talk about it confide first in a friend (42% of cases) or their parents (23%) before informing the school. The reasons? Adults seem overwhelmed. In addition, the phenomenon of cyber sexism is trivialised.
The consequences of this cyber violence of a sexual nature
This cyber violence, which mainly affects girls, tends to dictate to teenagers what the norms of masculinity and femininity should be: girls are reduced to their appearance and boys must overplay their masculinity. Rooted in real life, these dictates are reinforced online: girls must post photos exposing their bodies without showing their sexuality too openly. The study shows that boys are less subject to the pressure of codes of self-representation on social media.
Cybersexism is therefore a « penalty for breaching these codes ». « It's often like that with photos circulating on social media. When a boy posts a photo of himself shirtless, girls are bound to comment saying, ‘You're so handsome’, and boys will too. Whereas when a girl posts a photo of herself, either in a vest or a swimsuit, they'll say, ‘Look at her acting like a slut'. » says Érika, a Year 3 pupil.e. Digital sociability is essential for teenagers, guaranteeing popularity and acceptance within the group: «I post, therefore I am» could be said today. It is this collective social control that drives 12-15 year olds to judge each other and call to order those who step out of line.
Nevertheless, interviews conducted during the study clearly show that adolescents, especially girls, do not have control over their own content. Photos are shared online even when the subject does not agree. If the subject is a girl, she will be held responsible for the consequences of the dissemination of photos of her.
The study highlights the consequences of cyberviolence, particularly sexual cyberviolence, on victims: loss of self-esteem and feelings of insecurity, even suicidal thoughts (sometimes considered the only way out), loss of concentration, fear of coming to school, etc.
