The ‘Leaked’ Project delves into the intricate digital lives of young people in Thailand, focusing on the rising trend of creating and sharing self-generated sexual content. This initiative explores the balance between the benefits of digital connectivity—such as enhanced confidence and expanded social inclusion—and potential risks like cyberbullying and exploitation.

As young Thais increasingly move important milestones ranging from dating and exploring sexuality to building self-esteem online, sharing sexual content with partners or peers is becoming more common. While such practices offer new avenues for sexual expression and relationship exploration, they also introduce significant risks. However, many young people are becoming adept at navigating these digital landscapes safely, and are aware of the potential dangers while exploring their sexuality and relationships. Yet they are often confronted with conservative safety advisories that may not align with their personal experiences. These standard warnings about the legal consequences and dangers of sharing sexual content clash with a reality where such exchanges can be consensual and free of adverse effects, leaving young people in need of guidance to handle these grey areas thoughtfully.

Set against the backdrop of Thailand’s cultural environment, where traditional norms frequently conflict with the globalized ethos of the internet, young individuals face unique challenges. These include reconciling their online activities with real-world expectations in a society where open discussions about sexuality are still largely taboo. The ‘Leaked’ project aims to understand the experiences of young people in Thailand as they navigate life online. It focuses on how technology affects their developmental milestones, such as flirting, forming relationships, and setting boundaries. The project will use the insights gained to a create targeted intervention that address issues like victim-blaming, enhance the positive aspects of technology in romantic interactions, and clarify the complexities of consent in the digital age.

📋 Surveys with 2,000 young people aged between 9-17 years old in Northern Thailand of motivations, attitudes, and practices regarding self-generated sexual content, using age-appropriate and ethical approaches to asking these sensitive and complicated questions.

🚓 Collecting perspectives of the range of relevant actors including social service providers, police, and survivors who are unavoidably encountering problems from these behaviours in their work.

🎒 Create two curricula tailored for younger and older groups, informed by the young people’s voices, that respond to – and uses – the data to intervene and help navigate these modern dating and relationship challenges.

💪 Empowering Thai Young People: By directly engaging with 2,000 young individuals across Northern Thailand, the ‘Leaked’ Project sheds light on the nuanced realities of digital life. The insights gathered fuel the development of the intervention that resonates deeply with young people’s experiences and needs, enabling them to navigate digital and real-life challenges confidently.

💡 Shifting Perspectives: The project challenges conventional narratives around young people’s digital interactions by focusing on empowerment over restriction. It reshapes safety messaging to reflect youth perspectives on consent and privacy, promoting responsible digital content sharing.

🏛️ Policy Influence: By collaborating with local and national stakeholders, the ‘Leaked’ Project lays the groundwork for policy recommendations that are informed by comprehensive data and real-life contexts. These policies strive to protect young people while respecting their rights and voices, potentially influencing how digital safety and youth behavior are approached in Thailand.

Read our project brief here:

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