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Article by Nina Funnell suggesting parents look at the context of sexting by their children and Don’t simply teach your child how to keep themselves safe around issues like sexting. Also talk to them about their ethical responsibilities in regards to others- what they should do if someone sends them a nude photo or an image designed to humiliate someone else

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Article by Nina Funnell suggesting parents look at the context of sexting by their children and Don’t simply teach your child how to keep themselves safe around issues like sexting. Also talk to them about their ethical responsibilities in regards to others- what they should do if someone sends them a nude photo or an image designed to humiliate someone else

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Those aged 15–17 years spent the highest mean number of hours per week on the internet (18 hours per week)”, so there may well be ample opportunity

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Those aged 15–17 years spent the highest mean number of hours per week on the internet (18 hours per week)”, so there may well be ample opportunity

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8146.0 - Household Use of Information Technology, Australia, 2016-17

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This release presents results for Household Use of Information Technology (HUIT) collected via the Multipurpose Household Survey (MPHS) for 2016-17. This is the final iteration of this survey. HOUSEHOLD INTERNET ACCESS The proportion of households with access to the internet at home has been steadily climbing since 2004-05 but remained constant between 2014-15 and 2016-17 at 86%.

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According to Agustina, Gómez-Durán (2012), and Gordon-Messer et al, (2013), figures show that 65% of females compared to 35% of males transmit sexting material, furthermore, these same studies indicated that the older teenager, 16-18 were more frequent senders.

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According to Agustina, Gómez-Durán (2012), and Gordon-Messer et al, (2013), figures show that 65% of females compared to 35% of males transmit sexting material, furthermore, these same studies indicated that the older teenager, 16-18 were more frequent senders.

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Sexting has stirred debate over its legality and safety, but few researchers have documented the relationship between sexting and health. We describe ...

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The Snapchat privacy policy allows children aged 13 and up to use its services. You don't have to be 16 and of the age of consent, and you don't have be 18 and able to vote. All you need is a Snapchat-enabled phone and a friend (or otherwise) to act as selfie-receiver.

You don't even need a hefty data package, because you can go on wifi. This helps, in part, to lower inhibitions - it's just Snapchat, it doesn't hurt.

It concerns me. My year group grew up hitting the tail end of the technological landslide; but if I were at school now, my peers and I would be engaged in the same behaviour that my friends now indulge in at 22.

Of course, you can't solely blame the technology, or the children, either. It is about education.

I visited a well-known public school a couple of weeks ago and asked the young lady showing me around whether students were allowed to use their phones. Yes, she said, because it's such a big school that phones are required to communicate with staff over email.

But what about texting? She was nonchalant: Snapchat is blocked on the grounds, and the internet switches off at lights-out - 11pm. In boarding schools, where parents cannot police technological habits, these kind of measures are really important.

It doesn't sound at all draconian to me, but sensible.

But for day schools, is there a way to help young girls and boys out? It isn't as easy as banning technology and saying that teenagers shouldn't have camera phones and access to the internet. That doesn't help them socially - when technology is a competition, to take it away is problematic. When I was growing up, we didn't have it, so didn't miss it.

It's OK to want to snog the fit boy from Biology when you're 16, but now technology brings a new level of competition to the process. Temptation can be brought home and secreted into bedrooms on an iPhone.

I wouldn't want to suggest that the biological urge has changed, but the technological pull has.

Allison Pearson wrote yesterday that an awareness of healthy sexual behaviour should be introduced into schools. Of course it should: if I were a parent now, knowing what my friends and their younger siblings get up to on their phones, I'd be ringing the school up.

I asked my not wholly square and boring (like me) flatmates what they thought. "Would being a teenager have been worse with Snapchat?" The answer was an instant yes.

Why? Because even now, as young adults, we display our lives on the internet. Selfies are - a lot of the time - for 'impressing' other people. "Look and me and how well I can pout!" Environment selfies - snaps of stuff that we're doing - our expensive juice cleanses, rounds of cocktails, or running shoes at 6am - all contribute to the culture of showing off.

We use our phones to heave ourselves onto an internet stage - not just for ourselves. It is, one fears, for other people, and unfortunately, sex education has become relevant to this. It's all about exhibitionism and that has become normalised.

That is concerning for our teenagers. They are sending selfies, because they can.

And that 'can' is most worrying of all.

Eleanor Doughty is a freelance journalist. She tweets @brushingboots

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Sexual pressure: 'who'd want to be a teen today?'

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The Snapchat privacy policy allows children aged 13 and up to use its services. You don't have to be 16 and of the age of consent, and you don't have be 18 and able to vote. All you need is a Snapchat-enabled phone and a friend (or otherwise) to act as selfie-receiver.

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Posted December 02, 2015 06:21:07

'Sexting' is so prolific in the Cootamundra Local Area Command in south-western New South Wales, one family has left the district after an image of their daughter went viral.

Youth Liaison Officer, Senior Constable Joe Camilleri, said police have destroyed seven mobiles belonging to young people recently as they contained inappropriate pictures, while the destruction of a further three phones is being considered.

"We've sought some professional advice from our people in Sydney and they can only give a 95 per cent guarantee that those images are removed," he said.

These kids aren't intentionally wanting to create child porn, but because of their age, that's exactly what they've done and there are predators out there who would love to get these images and when they do go online, as we all know, you cannot retrieve them.

Senior Constable Joe Camilleri

"So we had a test case go to court locally and the magistrate deemed that if we can't guarantee 100 per cent the images are removed, then those phones will be destroyed.

"Sadly that message is stronger, than ending up with a criminal record."

Senior Constable Camilleri said nude or semi-nude pictures of a person under the age of 18 is child pornography, and receiving and on-sending the image is a criminal offence.

He said Local Area Commanders have the power to authorise the destruction of phones, which are taken to Sydney and shredded into e-waste.

Senior Constable Camilleri said often young girls are sending images to their boyfriends, who then share the pictures when the relationship breaks down.

"One particular girl that I spoke to had to leave not only her school, but the family had to leave town because she was being propositioned constantly at school, because the boys thought if she was prepared to do that, than obviously she was willing to do other things, which wasn't the case at all and she was devastated," he said.

Senior Constable Camillieri has urged parents to talk about the issue with their children.

"I don't think parents realise that their children could be doing this, until it happens and I can tell you, the parents I've spoken to are really shocked that their child was involved in this type of crime," he said.

"These kids aren't intentionally wanting to create child porn, but because of their age, that's exactly what they've done and there are predators out there who would love to get these images and when they do go online, as we all know, you cannot retrieve them.

"They're there forever and so there's potential there to really harm your future."

Senior Constable Camilleri said some children need a phone, but he has encouraged parents to consider purchasing mobiles that do not have access to the internet.

"Parents need to realise that they are in control, or are responsible, for their children and if a child's got a mobile phone, they have the right to access that phone, look at the phone, look at what's on it," he said.

"They are the parents, most of the time the phones have been given to them by their parents anyway."

The NSW Department of Family and Community Services' Parent Line can be reached on 1300 1300 52.

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Police destroying phones of teenage 'sexters'

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Posted December 02, 2015 06:21:07 'Sexting' is so prolific in the Cootamundra Local Area Command in south-western New South Wales, one family has left the district after an image of their daughter went viral.

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More than half of teachers are aware of incidents of children sexting at their school, including primary-school pupils as young as seven, according to a study by one teaching union.

A quarter of teachers who responded said they were aware of 11-year-olds sexting, which involves using social media to share messages, pictures or videos of a sexual nature.

However, the majority of incidents involved pupils aged 13 to 16, the report by the NASUWT said. In one typical incident, a girl pretended to fancy a boy and persuaded him to take a picture of his genitals, which she then shared with others.

In another, a year 9 pupil, aged 13 or 14, took explicit selfies of herself for a boy at another school, but classmates got hold of the photo and shared it, thereby distributing child sexual images.

A spokesman for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said it was worrying that so many children were sharing explicit images. "Many young people see this activity as part of everyday life, despite the severe risks involved.

"When something goes wrong, the consequences can be devastating. Apart from exposing them to bullying when images are shared, it could make children targets for sex offenders in some cases."

The counselling service ChildLine dealt with more than 1,200 cases last year of young people worried about indecent images they had shared, or who felt pressured into sexting.

The NSPCC said: "Children and young people need to understand the risks of sending these images and know what to do to get the support. If a child has lost control of a sexual image, they can get in touch with ChildLine who will work with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to get the image removed. The charity is calling for sexting to be included in age-appropriate sex and relationships education which the charity says "should be on every curriculum as [schools] are at the frontline of child protection".

The NASUWT study, which is being launched at the union's annual conference in Birmingham on Friday, also revealed that half of teachers who took part had come across pupils using social media to send insulting, bullying or sexist messages to each other. Half said they were aware of pupils sending homophobic or racist messages.

Teachers were also targets for pupils and parents on social media. The study, which received responses from 1,300 teachers, found that half had seen adverse comments posted about themselves on social media sites by pupils and parents.

Union leaders are particularly worried about increasing online abuse of teachers by parents. More than half reported receiving online abuse from parents, up from 40% the previous year.

In one typical post a parent threatened to come in and "sort that bitch out"; one pupil threatened to rape a teacher; another teacher was branded a paedophile on social media, while another was condemned as a "wife beater".

Chris Keates, the NASUWT general secretary, said: "Over the three years the NASUWT has been running this survey the situation has deteriorated.

"Online abuse has a devastating impact on teachers and pupils' lives and yet no serious action is taken by government to ensure that schools are responding appropriately to this abuse.

"There are still too many cases where no appropriate action is taken when abuse is reported to headteachers, the police or the social networks themselves.

"The level of abuse that teachers are suffering at the hands of parents online is simply unacceptable. How can pupils be expected to use social media sensibly and safely when parents are using it inappropriately?"

Topics

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Children as young as seven caught sexting at school, study reveals

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More than half of teachers are aware of incidents of children sexting at their school, including primary-school pupils as young as seven, according to a study by one teaching union. A quarter of teachers who responded said they were aware of 11-year-olds sexting, which involves using social media to share messages, pictures or videos of a sexual nature.

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young people were confused about the laws, that media coverage of the perils is exaggerated and that the educational materials simply don't apply to them

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The researchers held focus groups for people aged 16-17, who are over the age of sexual consent but, like everyone else, cannot make any photographic or video recordings that are considered pornography by law. Workshops were also run for police, criminologists, youth workers, health workers, researchers and young people's advocates.

"We found that young people were confused about the laws, that media coverage of the perils is exaggerated and that the educational materials simply don't apply to them," says lead author Dr Kath Albury.

Young people do not use the term "sexting" to begin with, thinking that it's an exaggerated term coined by alarmed adults or journalists. They were also dismissive of shaming by their peers, despite educational materials portraying "shaming" as one of the most common consequences of sexting.

The most surprising discovery, however, is the entirely different way that young people judge whether sexting is acceptable. Adults often describe the phone images as "taboo", "dirty", "wrong" and "disgusting" but what young people find offensive isn't the nudity - it's when it's taken or shared without consent.

They are then puzzled by how adults categorise all naked and partly naked images as sexting, when it could be - in their view - a photo of themselves in their new underwear. They argue that some photos are not meant to be sexual, such as semi-clothed images, digital self-portraits and comedy or prank pictures, and challenge the one-size-fits-all definition.

"I think everybody has a very different perspective over what's decent, what's indecent and usually it's a moral sort of thing, because, obviously you can't please everybody. But who determines what is decent and what is indecent?"

It is no wonder, then, that the teenagers are surprised to find that they can face child pornography charges for sexting, even if it's a self-taken digital portrait shared with a friend. They regard the legal penalties as "excessive", and say the laws are "hype" and "overdone".

Says one teen: "I think there's a difference between a 17-year-old male having a photo of his girlfriend ... naked, than a 40-year-old man having a photo of a young kid. Yeah. There's quite a big difference. I don't think it should be the same sort of punishment."

Adults who attended a separate workshop revealed they were just as confused about the law on sexting as young people. Teachers weren't clear where it fits into mandatory reporting of child pornography, and most people supervising youngsters felt they lacked the training or resources to deal with the issue or knowledge to advise teenagers about it.

"They were surprised by the young people's responses in the focus groups. This was the first time that they'd considered how differently teens viewed sexting," Dr Albury says.

"Most young people said they could not recall any school-based education on sexting. They wanted factual information about relevant laws, including clear guidelines on their rights and their responsibilities regarding digital images.

"They wanted to talk about privacy, consent, and what to do if someone shares their photos without their permission. What they don't want is to be told 'you're a silly girl and your life is ruined'."

The report recommends that children's views be included in committees, review boards and other policy-making avenues. And, rather than adults telling them to stop using social media or sharing intimate digital photos, sexting education should focus on fostering ethical, respectful practices between intimate partners and within friendship networks, it says.

It is also important that educators and legislators understand the needs of people under 18 yet over the age of consent, and distinguish between consensual and non-consensual sharing of images.

Former chief justice of the Family Court of Australia, Alastair Nicholson, says that there is an urgent need for law reform and a national consensus on the laws, which must match the children's view. Simply adapting child pornography laws to sexting is reactionary, does not factor in today's mobile and youth culture and simply will not work, he adds.

"The young people we spoke to agreed that sharing pictures without consent is unethical, and in some cases, the law should definitely be involved," Dr Albury says. "It was clear, though, that many adult responses to sexting are irrelevant, and are missing the mark.

"Lawmakers and educators need to step back and listen to what young people need from them, rather than assuming they know what's best."
Mandy Thoo is a freelance science writer.

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The researchers held focus groups for people aged 16-17, who are over the age of sexual consent but, like everyone else, cannot make any photographic or video recordings that are considered pornography by law. Workshops were also run for police, criminologists, youth workers, health workers, researchers and young people's advocates.

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Australian Poster targeted towards young people to think before they send

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Excellent resource produced by the Office of the Children's eSafety Commissioner. Australian Giovernement

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Be Deadly Online - That's Not Team Spirit

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Sexies, noodz, sexts or selfies...No matter what you call them or where you live teens are sending them. And once they're out there you can't control who'll see them and where they'll end up. 'That's not Team Spirit' focuses on sexting and the risks of sharing sexy pics.

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American video clip introduces is to sexting as we know it from 2004

15% of adults have received or sent explicit messages, 6% admit sending with 3% forwarding

Not new previously delivered through phone, cyber messaging, email, fax, love letters.

As old as civilisation. Notable historical people named to have passed erotic stories include napoleon, Oscar Wilde and Cleopatra

Most of us will have some embarrassing images of ourselves on the internet.

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Cleopatra delivering herself to Caesar rolled in a carpet may have been the original selfie.

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Simple cartoon suggesting "sexting" using Morse Code

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Study precipitated by concerns about the potential short- and long-term harms for young people involved in the behaviour of sexting.

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Sexting and Young People - Experts views

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Australian article discussing changes in attitudes and education should be considered

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Teen 'sexting' should not be a crime, Youth Action tells inquiry - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

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This American study was designed to compare young peoples’ perceptions of trust and attitudes about privacy when engaging social media and through mobile phones. Particular attention was paid to the exchange of sexually suggestive images and video, an increasingly common activity in youth culture because of the proliferation of mobile phones with faster networking and cameras.

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Sharing of Digital Visual Media US Study

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American study challenging laws imposed and changes to thinking required.

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American Study  to examine sexting behaviors across males and females, as related to impulsivity trait risk factors and sexting expectancies, and to examine the prevalence and perceived likelihood of negative sexting outcomes across males and females

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Risks, Risk Factors and Outcomes. Sexting Uni Students USA

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American study around teenagers who had sent a sexually explicit picture of themselves. Thestudy empirically shows that personality factors are significant predictors of teenagers' engagement in sexting.

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The association between adolescents characteristics and engagement in sexting

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American study  to examine the relation between “sexting” (sending and sharing sexual photos online, via text messaging, and in person) with sexual risk behaviors and psychosocial challenge in adolescence.

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SEXTING. Relation to Sexual Activity and Sexual Risk Behaviour in a National Survey of Adolescents

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Australian article discussing legal issues associated with Sexting and chnges suggested in Victoria

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Information provided by Think You Know for parents

thinkUKnow Australia is a partnership between the Australian Federal Police (AFP),Microsoft Australia, Datacom and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and is proudly supported by the New South Wales Police Force, Northern Territory Police, Queensland Police, South Australia Police, Tasmania Police, Western Australia Police and Neighbourhood Watch Australasia.

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Australian Study  questioning whether sexting should be prosecuted under child pornography legislation

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Want to know why young people are sexting? Try asking them

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Want to know why young people are sexting? Try asking them

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Views from the United Kingdom suggesting adolscents should be banned by the Tech Companies for sexting

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Lunchbox/Soapbox: Nina Funnell on the Teen Sexting Panic

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Lunchbox/Soapbox: Nina Funnell on the Teen Sexting Panic

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Australia. Issues around "Moral Panic.Nina Funnell is freelance journalist, author and advocate against sexual assault. Through century upon century, societies have located much of their moral panic and hysteria around a victimised view of youth. Whether it’s generational or technological change, the shock of the new has often been seen as deeply threatening to the moral fabric or the vulnerable, naive individual. But is this fair? Nina Funnell questions the extent to which the discourse around protecting children is really about controlling, policing and pathologising them.

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Lunchbox/Soapbox: Nina Funnell on the Teen Sexting Panic

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Through century upon century, societies have located much of their moral panic and hysteria around a victimised view of youth. Whether it's generational or technological change, the shock of the new has often been seen as deeply threatening to the moral fabric or the vulnerable, naive individual. But is this fair?

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Fact Sheet on how Western Australia identifies Sexual Abuse of children, Sexting can fall into this category.

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Australian article challenging current legislation and criminality for sexting by young people.

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Information for Parents on what to do and say to children about Sexting
https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/tips/sexting-and-its-consequences/

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Sexting as a criminal offence, Australian criminality issues of Child Pornography offending

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Western Australia Legislation on what Child Pornography and exploitation material is and how this relates to sexting.

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Australian Lawstuff is a information website designed for children to understand basic law principles. this page describes how the law views sexting.

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Information produced by Legal Aid Western Australia about sexting from a legal advice perspective

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Australian. Notes from Seminar about the impact of the criminal law and sex offender registration laws on adolescents who engage in sexting related behaviour

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message from Western Australian Police about sexting posted to their Facebook Account

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Sexting warning - do you know the dangers? Police would like to remind young people of the dangers of #sexting, after an inquiry found a 16 year old boy in possession of sexually explicit pictures....

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Australian Study provides a valuable contribution to the evidence base. In a survey of over 2,000 respondents, almost half reported having sent a sexual picture or video of themselves to another party, while two-thirds had received a sexual image. Sexting was prevalent among all age groups, with 13 to 15 year olds particularly likely to receive sexual images. Sexting was prominent among homosexual and bisexual respondents. Most sexting occurred between partners in committed relationships.

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Information from Parents about what Apps young people are using.

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Snapchat, Kik, and 6 More Iffy Messaging Apps Teens Love

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Cool new apps give teens lots more opportunities to overshare (or worse). Advice from Common Sense Media editors.

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An American study briefly discussing current trends and issues

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Typical Interent resource designed to connect people. www.omegle.com www.omegle.com

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An English perspective on sexting and measure being undertaken.

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An English perspective on sexting and measure being undertaken.

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Youngsters are increasingly putting themselves in danger by sending and posting naked pictures of themselves.

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YOUNGSTERS in Warwickshire are increasingly putting themselves in danger by sending and posting naked pictures of themselves.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) say more under 18s are sharing nude selfies on mobile phones and social media.

The charity says such images fuel the offending of those who view child pornography online and are urging parents to talk to their children about the risks, and the fact children taking and then sharing nude selfies were committing a crime.

The NSPCC is also calling on internet companies to make it easier for such images to be removed from the internet.

Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC, said: "Digital technology has fuelled an explosion in the production and consumption of child sexual abuse images.

"As well as pursuing and deterring adults who make and distribute these we must educate children about how to keep themselves safe online and offline and how to get help as soon as grooming or abuse happens.

"Dedicated police operations have made a real difference, but the internet industry must prioritise this issue by committing their expertise and work with the public and voluntary sector to find solutions."

Det Ch Insp Carl Moore of Warwickshire Police said the fight against online child abuse in the county would go on through

Operation Safenet which was launched in May.

He added: "We have a dedicated team of officers and digital forensic staff proactively tracking people in Warwickshire.

"The team use the latest digital investigative techniques to identify where illegal images are being viewed, allowing the police and digital forensic experts to seize evidence from the home and arrest those involved.

"This approach means police can immediately take action to prevent further offences and protect children at risk.

"An indecent image of a child is a young person in a real situation, being horrifically abused. Offenders should be in no doubt that they are perpetuating the child's suffering by making, distributing, and possessing indecent images."

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Youngsters endangering themselves by sharing naked selfies

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YOUNGSTERS in Warwickshire are increasingly putting themselves in danger by sending and posting naked pictures of themselves. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) say more under 18s are sharing nude selfies on mobile phones and social media.

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7 Women Reveal the Hottest Sexts They've Ever Gotten

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7 Women Reveal the Hottest Sexts They've Ever Gotten

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Australian magazine Cosmopolitan reports on the issue of sexting.

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Sexting - How to Send Sexy Texts and Messages - Cosmo

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The best sexts are like great foreplay-they're spicy but still leave a little to the imagination. Find out how to max out your sext appeal here.

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Here's What Guys Really Want You to Say in Sexts.

Is everyone faking their sext orgasms or what?

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Simple Poster depicting common thinking