Adolescents’ digital media interactions within the context of sexuality development.

Abstract

Sexually oriented digital media use is important in adolescents’ sexuality development. The literature points to affordances of media uses (e.g., accessibility), inviting adolescents to use media for sexuality construction and engagement in sexual behaviors. Different theories on sexually oriented digital media use (e.g., Uses and Gratifications and Self-effects) explain why adolescents use media and how it shapes adolescents’ sexuality. Research has documented motivations of sexually oriented digital media use (e.g., sexual exploration) and how they relate to sexual self-development outcomes (e.g., sexual certainty), attitudinal outcomes (e.g., gender stereotypical beliefs), relationship quality indicators (e.g., commitment), and sexual behavioral outcomes (e.g., risky sexual behavior). The literature suggests challenges and future directions of sexually oriented digital media use research. Future research should explore the beneficial implications of digital media uses for adolescents’ sexuality. More attention should cover processes explaining the link between adolescents’ digital media uses and sexuality-related outcomes, and their bidirectional nature