A documentary following girls as young as 12 posting images of themselves online in lingerie and imitating porn stars sheds light on how technology and pornography are shaping the sexual identity of young girls.
Sexy Baby: A Documentary About Sexiness and The Cyber Age, exposes the troubling truth of a generation getting their sex education from online porn, distorting their view of sex and what is normal.
Related: Why girls are having sex at 12
The film makers, former journalists Ronna Gradus and Jill Bauer hope the film will be a ‘conversation starter’ for parents when it opens in the US this week.
The documentary’s youngest subject, 12-year-old Manhattan girl Winnifred, reveals how she and her friends pose seductively for pictures to post online as she emulates her idol Lady Gaga, and explains the pressure to maintain a sexy online persona.
“Your facebook profile is not necessarily who you are, it’s more like who you want to be,” she says in the film.
“We make ourselves seem like we’re up for anything, and in a way all this internet stuff kind of traps you. You’ve started an alter ego that has to be maintained and has to be real in a way.”
The film makers have dubbed their subjects ‘Generation XXX’ and explore the world that Winnifred and her friends inhabit where ‘privates are public and extremes are the new norm’ — as well as the dangers of posting seductive images.
Winnifred’s friend Olivia told the camera “every girl wants to feel sexy, like Megan Fox,” but her attitude adjusted after a picture she posted of herself wearing only a bra went viral.
“I felt dirty afterwards,” she said.
The film explores this generation who are getting their sexual education from porn, and feel pressured to behave like porn stars.
Related: How to keep kids safe online
“Winnifred represents the next generation and simply put, is confused. She recently told us that she worries about her male peers who are getting their first glimpses of sex via hard core pornography,” the filmmakers explained.
“The film is not specifically about porn, it is about the new seismic shift — the fact that everything is at our fingertips all the time and available to everyone of all ages,” the filmmakers told MailOnline.
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