Kiwi youth watching more sexual violence than ever, Classification Office report reveals

Chief Censor David Shanks said young Kiwis described the reality of youth watching more sexual violence as a "new normal" where virtually any content was available on their devices. Photo / 123RF

Kiwi youth are watching more sexual violence than ever before - and they're learning from it.

A new report released today revealed what youth are watching was shaping their attitudes towards sex, relationships and sexual violence.

Chief Censor David Shanks said the research's cohort of 48 young people described this reality as a "new normal" where virtually any content was available on their devices.

The youth, aged 13-18, were from a wide cross-section of backgrounds and included young survivors of sexual abuse and LGBTI young people.

The report found age restrictions were seen as more of a guide than actually being restrictive and there was not a great deal of parental engagement or supervision.

"My parents let me watch anything but say that it's me who has to suffer the consequences afterwards," one young female participant said.

"It is commonplace for them to view sexual violence in films and series, access porn, or see troubling content on social media," Shanks said in the report.

"They have often seen things they would rather not have seen, and feel that they lack information and support.

"Our young people shouldn't simply be 'left to their own devices' in this area."

Shanks said that relationship and sexuality education programmes for young people should include a media component to teach young people to question what they see.

The Young New Zealanders Viewing Sexual Violence report is the third in a series published by the Office of Film and Literature Classification.

Key insights included that youth were accessing a wide range of content online, including restricted movies, games and porn. Those interviewed believed the media was the main way they were learning about sexual violence and agreed this had some kind of impact on themselves and others.

Young sexual abuse survivors, in particular, were often triggered by depictions of sexual violence in popular entertainment, and would seek to avoid them if possible. They did not feel that their experiences were well understood by their peers or society.

The report recommended better education of young people about media effects and for sexual violence programmes to include information about relationships, sex and sexual violence in media.

To do this the Classification Office needed to engage with schools, libraries, Government agencies and NGOs involved with sexual violence prevention, youth health and wellbeing, media regulation, and online safety, the report found.

The findings of this report will also contribute to the Government's regulatory reform process, which aims to bring online streaming services under the Broadcasting Standards system.

Key findings of report

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• ​Young people said they preferred to access entertainment content online due to the freedom and choice it offered.

• ​It was common for young people to find pirated versions of movies and TV shows. They also use legal streaming services if what they want to see is available.

• ​Young people said it was common for their peers to view content that was classified as restricted, or even objectionable in some cases, such as restricted movies and games, and pornography.

• ​The research group said that entertainment media was one of their main sources for learning about sexual violence. It appeared that media may be contributing to how different genders view each other in relation to sexual violence.

• ​Young people said that as they matured, parental supervision and strictness often diminished to the point of little or no supervision.

• The cohort said they preferred viewing content alone or with friends, rather than with family members. One reason is that family viewing places limits on what they can view, and another is that they are uncomfortable viewing certain content, like sex scenes, with family.

• ​Young people generally agreed that viewing sexually violent content has some kind of impact on themselves and others.

• Young people often lack the ability to effectively critically analyse material they are viewing; however many were able to identify problematic and unrealistic depictions of sexual violence and relationships.

• The cohort generally agreed that warnings were helpful and necessary. They were more likely to heed content warnings when younger viewers were around.