50% Of Aussie Girls Feel Pressured By Boyfriends To Send Nude Pics, Study Finds

If you’ve spent even a few minutes on the Internet, you already know it’s not the safest environment for female web surfers.

Harassment is rife and there are few processes in place to minimise abuse.

(As New York Magazine writer Julieanne Smolinski recently wrote, Twitter is just one online organisation that has neglected to deal with its increasingly aggressive member-base, describing it as “a beloved public park that used to be nice, but now has a rusty jungle gym, dozens of really persistent masturbators, and a nighttime bat problem.”)

The problem is being felt by young Aussies too, it seems.

A study of Australian teens has revealed that more than 50 per cent of girls feel pressured to send nude photos online, News Corp reports.

The survey of 600 Aussie girls aged between 15 and 19 by Plan International found that more than half were receiving unsolicited and sexually explicit photos from their boyfriends, and were being urged against their will to return nude pics in kind.

Not cool, bros.

Eight out of 10 female respondents added that they feel it is “unacceptable for their boyfriend to ask them for a naked photo.”

Several of the girls surveyed cited pornography – “violent” and otherwise – as having influenced their male peers.

Plan International’s deputy chief executive Susanne Legena warned of the effects of this online abuse.

“This is alarming, outright cyber-bullying, and dangerous as it can lead to low self-esteem and depression among victims,” she said.

The study was partly funded by anti-domestic violence group Our Watch.

Plan International recommends the Office of the Children's eSafety Commissioner's website to anyone who wants more info on how to stay safe online.

If you are in an abusive situation please seek help:

Call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or visit Reachout.com