The plague of "dick pic" on social networks: "I received five sex photos a day"

“The first time I saw a penis was when I received a photo on my phone.

I was 15 or 16 years old and I hadn't asked for anything ”.

Sending unsolicited naked photos is a bane of social media.

A strong trend in the face of which young girls find themselves angry at best, bruised and helpless at worst.

Anne is now 19 years old and continues to receive regular sex photos, sent by older boys with whom she has usually never interacted.

"It happens for no reason, guys whose invitation I accept on Snapchat without paying too much attention," says the young student.

They also ask me for pictures of myself naked.

If I say no, I'm called a bitch or badly fucked.

Sometimes I try to react and talk to them about the principle of consent.

I am called a failed feminist.

In the end, I block them because I can't do anything more ”.

Last year, a survey revealed that 19% of French people had already received photos or videos of naked people.

It was more than a third for those under forty.

In the age of the smartphone, receiving a "dick pic" has become confusingly banal, especially when you haven't asked for anything.

The fact of sending it without the recipient's consent may well be considered an act of exhibitionism punished by one year in prison and a fine of € 15,000, nothing seems to stop this phenomenon.

"Block is the only thing to do"

“At one time, I received an average of five a day,” explains Natacha, a 26-year-old Swiss.

When it shows up on your phone in the middle of work, it's not pleasant.

With my boyfriend, we try to laugh about it but it is heavy in the long run… ”Her first photos, the young woman received them as a teenager.

By email at the time.

“Today, there are plenty of channels with social networks,” she continues.

I tried everything to calm them down.

I posted boys publicly, I reminded them of the law.

Nothing works.

I must have blocked a hundred people because of that ”.

“Blocking is the only easy thing to do,” Ovidie admits.

The director, author of “Internet children's sex education” on France Culture, regularly speaks in high schools to discuss the subject with teenage girls, many of whom are looking for the appropriate answer.

"More and more girls flaunt guys to denounce their attitude and reverse shame, it's an interesting strategy," she explains.

Some also post the text of the law to make men understand what they are incurring.

But it is difficult and each responds with the weapons at its disposal ”.

Natacha would like for her part "a dedicated platform to be able to denounce them easily because the procedures are long and tedious".

Certain players in the sector are nevertheless trying to react.

After being alerted by many users, the Instagram account Nuit sans folie (NSF), which publishes "people's worst sexual anecdotes" every day to its 672,000 followers, has set up a discussion group on Discord to try to create a debate.

“Behind the funny anecdotes, we always wanted there to be a message linked to the liberation of the word around sexuality, explains Benjamin Warlop, director of operations at Koala Interactive which produces NSF.

Women complained about the behavior of some guys as soon as they liked or commented on a post.

We have therefore set up these discussion spaces on Discord to moderate the debates and provide fertile ground for discussion ”.

3,800 people discuss issues of sexuality in an atmosphere that is sometimes crude but courteous.

"No woman falls under the spell when you send her a sex photo"

Still, it's hard to understand why so many men send photos of their anatomy outside of any sexual game with their partner.

“Male excitement goes a lot through the visual, assured us Philippe Brenot, psychiatrist and couples therapist.

The problem is, men think it's the same with women, which it doesn't.

In fact, they are less followers of these practices ”.

For Ovidie, the phenomenon is not recent and has just become more pronounced thanks to the ease of digital technology.

"The men who do this are the counterpart of exhibitionists who opened their raincoats near colleges and high schools," she analyzes.

No woman falls under the spell of a man who sends her a photo of his sex.

He does this to establish a form of power by provoking her and making her uncomfortable.

The goal is to create stupor, disgust, embarrassment.

We must always remember that this is an assault ”.

"It's difficult to escape it because social networks are an integral part of our daily life," explains Sandra, a high school student from Val-d'Oise. It is also common that intimate photos are exchanged in the context of a romantic relationship. Some then use these photos to blackmail. All of this creates a very sexualized atmosphere. We have the impression that social networks are doing nothing against this ”. For Ovidie, it is above all necessary to continue to inform: “It is important to know that one has the law for oneself, concludes the director. Girls are already developing digital survival strategies. They have learned to spot the big heavyweights and have the right reflexes. We must accompany them. But they should not be ashamed. "