"Without the Internet, I never would have sold sex": Young women selling sex online
Vol.8,No.1(2014)
Special issue: Internet and Sexuality
Two main themes were identified: (I) Internet use—Part of daily life, for good and bad, and Depending on mood. The young women described using the Internet on a daily basis. During periods of poorer psychological health they were more active on sites focusing on self-destructiveness and sex. During these periods, they also sold sex more frequently. (II) Patterns of contacts—Innocent/curious, Dating, and Advertising. The narratives about communication prior to a sexual encounter detailed differences ranging from being lured to direct negotiations. The results indicate that there is a group of young women who sell sex online that is not in the open prostitution. Police and other authorities working with young women selling sex need to better understand the coded sexual communication behind some of these sexual encounters and how different communication strategies might affect the young women.
young women; prostitution; selling sex; online; Internet
Linda S. Jonsson
Linda S. Jonsson is a PhD. student in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, at Faculty of Health Sciences Linköping University, Sweden. Her research interests include sexual risk-taking online and online sexual abuse in children and young persons.
Carl Göran Svedin
M.D., PhD. Carl Göran Svedin is a Professor in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, at Faculty of Health Sciences Linköping University, Sweden. He has long clinical experience and his major research interests are trauma and abuse in children and adolescents.
Margareta Hydén
PhD. Margareta Hydén is a Professor of Social Work at Linköping University, Sweden. Her areas of interests include violence in close relationships, narrative and gender studies. Her recent work focuses on children's narratives of witnessing violence in the family and on social network's responses to interpersonal violence.
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