Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence among Adolescents and Young People: A Systematic Review of Reviews
Abstract
Abstract The growing use of digital technologies has generated new dynamics in the interpersonal and sexual relationships of adolescents and young adults. Forms of Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence (TFSV), such as image-based sexual harassment and image-based sexual abuse, have gained relevance. This phenomenon particularly affects girls, perpetuating structural gender inequality dynamics in digital environments. This study aims to examine how technology-facilitated sexual violence has been addressed in a sample of adolescents and young adults in recent scientific literature, contributing to its reconceptualization. A review of reviews was conducted based on international scientific literature. The search was conducted across academic databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, and ERIC, and limited to systematic and scoping reviews published between 2015 and 2025. This article synthesizes the selected reviews, organized around eight key dimensions: conceptualization, perception, attitudes, behaviors, risk factors, consequences, help-seeking, and prevention. Twenty-six reviews, comprising 1,114 studies, met the inclusion criteria. The results show high conceptual variability regarding behaviors derived from technology-facilitated sexual violence. An emotional and social impact on adolescent girls is highlighted, as well as an institutional tendency to minimize these forms of violence. Preventive interventions tend to focus on individual risk,…
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