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This article explores Finnish regulatory authorities' attempts to mitigate young people's participation in mediated sexuality. Previous studies have argued that both attempted regulation and education about media and sexuality are often out of touch with many adolescents' lives. This study uses a Foucauldian inspired critical investigative method to unpack the pedagogical messages that frame official statements and the approaches used by Finnish authorities to regulate mediated sexual exchanges. Focusing on the uses of shame as an ongoing pedagogical strategy, the article reveals the limits of social policing. It also sheds light on alternative possibilities and their implications for different aspects of mediated sexuality (autonomy, privacy and consent among other things) that are currently effaced by the regulatory discourse deployed by the Finnish Police Force.

Deriving from a large-scale research project on intimacy in data-driven culture in Finland, I build on a sub-study examining Finland's presumed sexual digital divide between generations. I analysed in-depth, semi-structured research discussions with six social media users who actively participated in the online discussion following the posting of a video on TikTok by the National Board of Investigation on the potential risks and dangers of sending nude images online. I wanted to know why this particular 'awareness-raising video' gained so much negative feedback from its young audiences on TikTok and other social media platforms. By using the idea of 'generational sexualities', I focus on the shared social imaginary the research participants seem to have on the sexual and digital divide between generations. As a result of my analysis, I propose that the idea of a generational gap regarding the digital modes of sexual engagement is a culturally and socially shared narrative contributing to a disconnective effect between the generations in sexual matters. Furthermore, the analysis of my research materials reveals that young people's 'full sexual rights' operate as a specific generational narrative that organises and structures my research participants' perspectives of what is inclusive and socially just sexual education. The educational efforts must go beyond risk and harm as 'no-sexting' educational materials may contribute to sexual discrimination and marginalisation, increase social inequality and negatively impact young people's sexual wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delves into the experiences of boys and young men grappling with anxiety surrounding potential ‘homosexual’ orientation, particularly within the context of societal expectations of normative heterosexuality. Using data from queries submitted to a Finnish sexual counselling service between 2017 and 2019, we highlight a dissonance between societal equality initiatives and the lived experiences of boys and young men in Finland. Drawing on queer theory and social norms critique, we analyse the constraints that limit the exploration of sexuality and self-identification among young Finnish men. Our findings underscore the pervasive impact of enduring societal norms on young men’s ability to express their sexuality openly and authentically. We advocate for strategies to promote a more supportive environment for young persons to navigate their sexual identities and advocate for the well-being of young people, alongside considerations for professionals working in youth support roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debate about pornography and minors has mainly centred on questions of control, regulation and media policy; the urge to protect children from dangers of sexually explicit content being the primary motivator of these conversations. Instead of discussing the use of pornography by minors in the light of relevant research findings, public discourse on these issues is more usually shaped by views of sexual cultures as inherently dangerous to minors, and young people as vulnerable, easily harmed, and endangered by the media. This paper builds on data consisting of 4212 questions about sexuality that were sent by young people in Finland to experts on sexual health. Only 64 (1.5%) of these contributions explicitly focused on pornography. The small number of porn-related submissions suggests that for young people there are other more important concerns in the field of sexuality than pornography, on which adult guidance is sought. This paper argues that young people's perceptions of pornography are more diverse than is typically assumed in public debate. Young people challenge risk talk by constantly referring to the vagueness of the alleged harm that characterises the discourse of danger that can be found in much public discussion. According to the findings of this study, blurry notions of harm bother young people more than the actual pornographic content they encounter.

Drawing on 91 pornography-related submissions sent by young Finns to a moderated question and answer forum on sexual health, this article explores the personal narratives of adolescents on pornography use. Special attention is given to the submissions by girls to explore the widely circulated narratives on the sexualization of adolescence more precisely. In focusing on these accounts of sexual exploration, learning and the pursuit of pleasure, the article examines how girls’ interests in sexually explicit media can be reflexively understood in the context of everyday sexual practices that are already socially constructed and negotiated. The material reveals that Finnish girls depict themselves as invested with substantial agency, competence and volition despite the occasional gender-specific anxieties that their encounters with pornography have created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on a memory-work project on the childhood experiences and memories of pornography in Finland to argue that the autobiographical younger self used in these reminiscences is a creature distinct from the cultural figure of a child at risk, and that the forms of learning connected to pornography are more diverse and complex than those limited to sexual acts alone. The notion of an asexual child susceptible to media effects remains detached from people’s accounts of their childhood activities, experiences and competences. By analyzing these, it is possible to critically reexamine the hyperbolic concerns over the pornification and sexualization of culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]