A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY ON THE CULTURAL FACTORS AFFECTING UNDERAGE SEXTING

Culture has always been an integral element of technology, particularly in cyberspace. Conversely, technology affects society, which in turn affects people's quality of life, action, and relations. Besides this, technology harms human life, including the domain of cybersex —- specifically sexting, which influences the growth rate of cybercrime. In this case, sexting became prevalent among youngsters, especially during this time of pandemic. The pandemic and the imposed lockdown have led to more people, especially children, being confined at home with many more hours to spend online each day and increasingly relying on the Internet to access services (Lavoro, 2020). Thus, the pandemic urged children to total exposure to technology, and culture which makes them vulnerable to sexually explicit content. On the other hand, the researchers aimed to determine the impact of cultural factors on underage sexting, and how it contributes to cybercrime. Following that, a semi-structured interview was used as a research instrument in gathering the needed data which was recorded through Google Forms. Henceforth, the answers were later analyzed using thematic analysis, particularly Seidel’s Data Analysis Plan which allowed the researchers to systematically search and arrange the interview transcript material containing opinions, knowledge, experiences, and values that the study aimed to accumulate. Lastly, the study's output is a mechanism for reducing and minimizing minors' exposure to sexting. The creation of Tip Sheet: Parenting 101 provides tips, ideas, and a firm grasp of underage sexting as well as ways to avoid it. Besides that, the output will be dispersed to parents, supplying awareness and assistance to reduce sexting among minors.