School based sex and relationships education will become compulsory in England in 2019. Topics like pornography, sexting and use of online media will be included but the form that this will take in the sex and relationships curriculum is unclear. With changes in technology have come developments in the ways in which individuals can communicate and connect, as well as new opportunities for engaging in intimate practices using technologies. Digital intimacies can be considered as encompassing a wide range of practices, including producing, sharing, broadcasting and viewing intimate content. These might include sexting; taking and sharing selfies; using hook-up apps; communicating about sex and relationships; searching for information and advice; and creating, accessing and circulating sexual content online, through social media and through apps.

This is an invitation to submit evidence to be considered in a Rapid Evidence Review of young people and digital intimacies. The project, funded by a Wellcome Trust Seed Award, aims to enable a better understanding of the kinds of information and interventions on digital intimacies that may be most useful to young people.

This call for evidence is open until Friday 30th March 2018

We seek literature relevant to the following questions:

• How do young people perceive, define, understand, engage with, negotiate and use digital technologies and content?
• What meanings do young people place on digital intimacies? What functions do digital intimacies play in the context of friendships, relationships and the peer group?
• In what ways are young people constrained by adult concerns when it comes to digital intimacies?
• How do young people negotiate the complexities of their own environments, for example ethics, morals and social standings, and what importance do the groups that young people belong to have on their experiences and practices with regard to digital intimacies?

We will include literature from a wide range of disciplines including but not limited to: public health, psychology, epidemiology, media/cultural studies, new media/digital media/social media/mobile media studies, porn studies, youth and childhood studies, sexuality and gender studies, anthropology, cultural geography, and critical sociology.

As well as identifying literature, we also want to ensure that this Rapid Evidence Assessment is comprehensive and relevant in its content and scope. To that end, we welcome input and suggestions, within the scope of digital intimacies as defined above, as to the areas that should be considered in the review. Please respond to any or all of the questions below.