Sexuality, Body Image, and Gender-Based Violence Among Youth: Digital Practices, Education, and Protective Factors

Dear Colleagues,

The socialization, identity construction, and sexual development of young people take place in increasingly complex contexts shaped by digitalization, persistent gender inequalities, and social vulnerability. Adolescents and young adults navigate sexual relationships, body image, and intimacy in environments influenced by online platforms, pornography, normative beauty standards, and unequal power relations. At the same time, gender-based and sexual violence—both online and offline—continue to pose significant challenges to youth well-being, particularly among marginalized groups such as migrant youth or those facing economic and social exclusion.

This Special Issue of Youth (“Sexuality, Body Image, and Gender-Based Violence Among Youth: Digital Practices, Education, and Protective Factors”) invites original research that explores the intersections of sexuality, body image, digital practices, and gender-based violence among young people. We welcome interdisciplinary contributions that examine both risk and protective factors, as well as educational, preventive, and community-based responses aimed at promoting healthy, equitable, and rights-based sexual development.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Sexting and digital sexual practices among adolescents and young adults;
• Online sexual victimization, coercion, and non-consensual sharing of intimate content;
• Pornography consumption and problematic pornography use among youth;
• Body image, self-esteem, and aesthetic pressure in youth populations;
• Gender norms, sexual scripts, and power relations in youth sexuality;
• Comprehensive sexuality education as a protective factor;
• Digital and media literacy in relation to sexual health and well-being;
• Gender-based violence and sexual violence among youth;
• Intersectional approaches to youth vulnerability (e.g., migration, socioeconomic status);
• Educational, preventive, and community-based intervention programs;
• Early detection, support, and recovery strategies for young victims;
• Implications for youth policy, education, and social services.

Types of contributions

• Original research articles (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods);
• Systematic or scoping reviews;
• Intervention and program evaluation studies;
• Policy- and practice-oriented contributions grounded in empirical evidence.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Andrea Gutiérrez García
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Youth is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• youth
• sexuality
• gender-based violence
• body image
• sexting
• pornography consumption
• comprehensive sexuality education
• digital environments