Adolescents' experience with sex on the web: results from online focus groups

To discover adolescent Internet users' experiences with, exposure to, and perceptions of sexually oriented websites (SOW) and sexually explicit websites (SEW), four web-based focus groups (N = 40) were conducted. Participants (ages 14-17) reported high levels of exposure to SEW and SOW, which was intentional for some and unsolicited for others. Female adolescents found SEW to be socially distasteful; some adolescent males avoided SEW while others were willing consumers. Participants believed exposure to SEW had no influence on them, and reported that their parents were unaware of what they view online. Future research should explore the effects of exposure to SEW and to SOW and mediating factors. (c) 2004 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.