Through the Eyes of Young People: A Qualitative Study of Sexting Among Croatian and Bosnian and Herzegovinian College Students

This study explores the phenomenon of sexting among college students through a qualitative research design. Participants took part in online synchronous focus groups where they were asked twelve open-ended questions about their experiences with sexting. Overall, 49 Croatian and Bosnia and Herzegovinian students participated in five focus groups. Participants defined sexting as an exchange of sexually explicit content underpinned by a range of motives. Relational motive was seen as the most prevalent reason for sending ones’ own sexts, while the ‘harm motive’ was identified for posting/sharing sexts of other people without their permission. Young persons expressed positive views toward sending their own sexts, particularly if sexting was voluntary and with a trusted person. Posting and/or sharing someone sextswithout the permission of the person depicted in that material or blackmailing someone with posting and/or sharing their sexts were often perceived negatively. Participants noted a number of advantages related to sexting in terms of increasing relationship satisfaction, but also disadvantages related to the risk of distributing sexts to others, or feelings of guilt associated with distributing other people’s sexts. In conclusion, this study contributes to the extant research on sexting by providing perspectives of young persons from Croatian and Bosnian and Herzegovinian regions.