Online Compliments and Digital Communication: Sexual Objectification in Adolescence

Abstract

Adolescents use social media as a key tool for communication, initiating and maintaining interpersonal relationships, and expressing their sexuality through bodily self-representation. This study aimed to analyze experiences of sexual objectification through “online compliments” exchanged among adolescents in digital environments; to identify the behaviors of those who send and receive such comments; to understand the intent behind their emission; and to explore the feelings and reactions elicited in adolescents who receive these remarks online. The sample consisted of 232 students (121 girls and 111 boys) enrolled in secondary and post-compulsory education in northwestern Spain, aged between 15 and 18, who participated in 20 focus groups. The main findings reveal that adolescents use social media to share personal images and videos and to engage socially through objectifying comments, particularly directed at girls. These online compliments not only mirror offline experiences but often occur with greater frequency and intensity in virtual contexts. Our results underscore the urgent need to implement comprehensive sex education programs in schools to foster healthy, violence-free socio-affective relationships.