doctoral research explores young people ’ s views on the law and policies related to youth sexual image sharing , a practice sometimes called ‘ sexting ’. Legislation in England and Wales ( the jurisdiction in which I will be undertaking my research ) does not use the term ‘ sexting ’ in relation to adults or young people sharing sexual images . However , this behaviour is criminal for under eighteens , which adds a layer of meaning to this term . This meaning is reinforced through use of the term ‘ sexting ’ in statutory guidance for responding to the behaviour in young people , such as Keeping Children Safe in Education . 8
In this article I will explore the legal , semantic and semiotic meanings of the term ‘ sexting ’. I will consider how it is used to differentiate adult and youth sexual image sharing as well as the clarity of the definition and the signified meaning . Whilst many scholars acknowledge the problematic nature of the term ‘ sexting ’, an alternative catch-all descriptive term has not been forthcoming . 9 Therefore , this article will explore the alternatives to the term and argue that ‘ sexual image sharing ’ is the most appropriate for official publications .
A further issue that will be explored is the way that legislation frames youth sexual image sharing as indistinguishable from ‘ child pornography ’. The second section of this article will consider the semantic and semiotic meanings of the term ‘ child pornography ’ and the potential alternative ‘ Child Sex Abuse Material ’ ( CSAM ). It will conclude by suggesting a definition of CSAM which would exclude young people sharing sexual images with their peers .
For each term I will determine which is the most appropriate for my own research and whether these should be adopted in legislation and policy . I will conclude with an outline of how I will navigate the complex meanings associated with these words within my research .
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