Technology-Facilitated Violence: Knowing Your Rights in Online Spaces
Digital technologies, including the internet, social media, and smartphones, are a big part of our day-to-day lives. Canadian youth believe that online spaces should be free of harms, including racism, sexism, and harassment, but unfortunately, we know that this isn't always the case. While tech has many positive uses, it's important to recognize the harms people can experience online. Technology-facilitated violence (TFV)—an umbrella term that refers to the harms that people can experience through digital technology, devices, and platforms—is on the rise among young people in Canada. TFV can take many forms, and examples include online harassment, threats, and the non-consensual distribution of sexual or intimate images/videos.
Because digital technologies play a big role in our lives, it's essential to recognize that online harms often have offline impacts. We know from research conducted with young people that online harms like TFV can have really serious impacts when it comes to your health, mental health, and well-being.
We also know that not everybody faces the same risks when it comes to technology-facilitated violence. TFV disproportionately impacts people from historically marginalized and minoritized races, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations (e.g., young women and girls, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, BIPOC youth). This means that the oppression and mistreatment that people with diverse identities experience can increase their risks of experiencing TFV and amplify the impact and severity of these harms.
We all have the right to feel safe online, and young people deserve to understand their rights in online spaces and to feel empowered to exercise them. Knowing your rights online is so important when dealing with harms like TFV, especially when it comes to knowing where you can go for support or knowing how to talk about what you've experienced.
For example, many young people have unfortunately experienced having their intimate images/videos (i.e., nudes) shared without their consent. You may have been told in the past that it is illegal for you to share or take nudes if you are under 18 years old—in Canada, this is not true. You can share nudes with another close-in-age youth as long as this is done privately and consensually. What is illegal is if somebody shares another person's nudes without their consent, like if someone has a sexual or intimate picture or video of you and knowingly posts it online or shares it with others.
Sextortion is another example of TFV that, unfortunately, many young people have experienced. This is a form of blackmail where someone threatens to share sexual images or videos of another person to pressure them into doing favours, like sending additional images, sending money, or doing something sexual with them. When it comes to understanding our rights in online spaces, it's important to know that sextortion is illegal in Canada.
When experiencing online harms, it may be challenging to think of supports you can go to for help or who to reach out to. If you have experienced or are experiencing sextortion, the non-consensual distribution of your intimate images, or any other form of technology-facilitated violence, please know that you are not alone and there are resources available to you if you need help:
Because digital technologies play a big role in our lives, it's essential to recognize that online harms often have offline impacts. We know from research conducted with young people that online harms like TFV can have really serious impacts when it comes to your health, mental health, and well-being.
We also know that not everybody faces the same risks when it comes to technology-facilitated violence. TFV disproportionately impacts people from historically marginalized and minoritized races, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations (e.g., young women and girls, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, BIPOC youth). This means that the oppression and mistreatment that people with diverse identities experience can increase their risks of experiencing TFV and amplify the impact and severity of these harms.
We all have the right to feel safe online, and young people deserve to understand their rights in online spaces and to feel empowered to exercise them. Knowing your rights online is so important when dealing with harms like TFV, especially when it comes to knowing where you can go for support or knowing how to talk about what you've experienced.
For example, many young people have unfortunately experienced having their intimate images/videos (i.e., nudes) shared without their consent. You may have been told in the past that it is illegal for you to share or take nudes if you are under 18 years old—in Canada, this is not true. You can share nudes with another close-in-age youth as long as this is done privately and consensually. What is illegal is if somebody shares another person's nudes without their consent, like if someone has a sexual or intimate picture or video of you and knowingly posts it online or shares it with others.
Sextortion is another example of TFV that, unfortunately, many young people have experienced. This is a form of blackmail where someone threatens to share sexual images or videos of another person to pressure them into doing favours, like sending additional images, sending money, or doing something sexual with them. When it comes to understanding our rights in online spaces, it's important to know that sextortion is illegal in Canada.
When experiencing online harms, it may be challenging to think of supports you can go to for help or who to reach out to. If you have experienced or are experiencing sextortion, the non-consensual distribution of your intimate images, or any other form of technology-facilitated violence, please know that you are not alone and there are resources available to you if you need help:
- https://www.NeedHelpNow.ca/ supports people under the age of 18 whose nude images have been shared on the internet and can help the images get taken down. This website also provides more information on your rights in online spaces and Canadian criminal laws that may apply, depending on your circumstances.
- https://www.TechSafety.ca/ provides more information on technology-facilitated violence, tips for tech safety and privacy, and has a toolkit outlining how to preserve digital evidence—which can help you keep a record of what happened if you need proof.
- https://DIYdigitalsafety.ca/ has resources about technology-facilitated violence, including what you can do if someone is threatening to share your nudes and if you are experiencing sextortion. Under the Support Services tab on the website, you can access compiled lists of resources for young people specific to each province and for youth with diverse identities.
- https://KidsHelpPhone.ca/ (or phone number 1-800-668-6868) is an e-mental health service available across Canada 24/7 that provides emotional support to Canadian youth. Their website has a support service directory that provides information about local (physical and virtual) resources and support services that young people can access.
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