Alarming figures: 40% of Norwegian teenagers receive nude pictures from strangers online

FacebookPhoto: Kon Karampelas / Unsplash

Four out of ten Norwegian youths have been sent nude pictures. Many Norwegians also get pictures from strangers online.

“It is not fair that 12-year-olds are sent pictures of strangers’ genitals, or that 13-year-olds are asked to send nude pictures online,” Mari Velsand, director of the Norwegian Media Authority, said while presenting the Authority’s report on Children and Media in May.

This spring, the Norwegian Media Authority investigated how for the first time common it was for young people to receive nude pictures and from whom they received them.

Four out of ten teenagers (42%) responded that they had been sent nude pictures.

Received images from strangers

Out of these, 40% responded that the images came from an unknown person online.

A total of 30% said the pictures came from a friend, boyfriend, or girlfriend.

Furthermore, 22% got pictures from someone they only know online or from a dating app.

“This shows that a number of children and young people are exposed to digital indecent exposure, and that is something we need to take seriously,” Velsand said.

Even the youngest teenagers receive nude pictures. Every fourth 13-14 year old has received such pictures.

Girls get more inquiries

The Media Authority has previously asked questions about whether children and young people themselves shared nude pictures. 

But acting on the advice of the youths themselves, the Authority has now also examined how many people have received or been asked to share photos, as well as whether a payment was offered.

Almost half of Norwegian teenagers have been asked to send a nude picture of themselves, the study shows. 

Far more girls than boys get such inquiries – even among the youngest girls aged 13-14, 45% say they have been asked to send or share nude pictures.

“Fortunately, few young people actually send or share nude pictures with others,” Velsand added.

About 12% of young people in total responded that they sent pictures of themselves.

Warning from Kripos

The National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos) is also concerned about children and young people being offered payment for nude pictures, either in the form of money or other gifts. 

“In some cases, young people are offered a fairly large sum of money. As a result, some people are tempted to send nude pictures to people they do not know,” police officer Hanne Andreassen of Kripos warned in May.

“We encourage young people to report unwanted inquiries to the police,” Andreassen added.

The Media Authority and Kripos reminded people that it is illegal to send nude pictures to anyone without consent.

Furthermore, it is also illegal if the person is younger than 16 years. 

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today

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