Why young adults need more protection from revenge porn

The online landscape is constantly evolving.

- SOPHIE MORTIMER

From one generation to the next, the baton of what is deemed appropriate is passed on, and standards of behaviour are constantly changing.

Ever since I began working for the Revenge Porn Helpline, initially as a helpline practitioner and now as the helpline manager, coordinating a team to support those affected by these devastating crimes, I have witnessed first-hand how technological advancements are continuing to fuel a rise in intimate image abuse.

First, it is clear to me that the rules of romantic engagement as we knew them have changed. Alongside the increasing popularity of sexting, people have simply become much more comfortable exchanging nude images of themselves, regardless of age or gender. And as long as you’re an adult, it’s consensual and it’s legal, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

While now a seemingly normal ritual between people meeting online, at the Revenge Porn Helpline I’ve seen the experiences of those who have been affected by how these images can be abused. This was the case with Aaliyah, a 22-year-old woman who reached out to the helpline after discovering, through a friend, that intimate images of herself had been shared onto an adult website by an ex-partner a year after their breakup.

Over the course of their online relationship, Aaliyah had shared intimate and non-intimate images with her partner, showing the trust she had in him. Feeling anxious after the revelation that her intimate images had been shared online, Aaliyah searched her name followed by the term “nude”, which led to her discovering her intimate images were openly available on the internet.