Children are exposed to many dangers in the world of social media. One of those dangers is sending or sharing intimate or sexually explicit messages, images, photos or videos via the internet or phone. The terms sending nudes or genital pics is the common terminology of young people as opposed to the term sexting.
A survey in 2017 conducted by ESafety, suggested that 9 out of 10 young people between the ages of 14 to 17 thought sexting was common. 1 in 3 of these young people had actually experienced sexting in some way – sending, sharing, receiving, asking for, being asked for, showing others images they had received or taken.
It is important for young people to understand the risks of sharing intimate images.
Losing control of the image:
If an image is shared, it can be copied and saved by others, shared with others who may not be known to the sender and then can be posted on public websites and social media. Once these images are shared, it is extremely difficult to remove the consequences, which can follow a young person into adulthood.
Friendships going wrong:
The image is shared more broadly than the sender intended or sometimes a relationship breaks down and there may be intent to hurt or humiliate the ex-friend/partner.
Images may not be sent willingly:
Some young people may be forced or pressured into sending inappropriate images or videos. This may happen when communicating with strangers or with people they know. The term ‘sextortion’ is where a person may be threatened to pay money or give into demands or their intimate image will be shared.
Consequences can be serious:
- Humiliation, guilt, shame, anger and self-blame, which can lead to on-going emotional distress, withdrawal from school and family life and in severe cases, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
- Bullying, teasing, harassment from peers.
- Damage to reputation – school and employment opportunities.
- Criminal charges/penalties.
Law:
A young person who asks for, accesses, possesses, creates or shares sexualised images of someone under 18 may be at risk of criminal charges — even if both parties consented. Being found guilty of these offences can result in a criminal record and registration as a sex offender in some circumstances. This would prohibit them from working or volunteering in places involving children and may require them to regularly report to police and have restrictions placed on their freedom of movement.
There are Commonwealth, state and territory laws against asking for, accessing, possessing, creating or sharing sexualised images of children and young people under 18. Sexting can be a crime when it involves people under 18, but young people in Tasmania are not likely to be charged with a crime for consensual sexting.
Sexting is more likely to be considered a crime when it involves harassment or secret recording. This applies to people of any age.
What should you do?
If you receive nude/sexy pictures or videos online or on your phone without having asked for them, you can reduce the chance of getting into trouble by:
- deleting the pictures/videos immediately, and
- letting the sender know that you don’t want to receive any more of these pictures/videos.
You should NEVER forward these images to other people because this can be a crime.
Sexting | Youth Law Australia (yla.org.au)
Sending nudes and sexting | eSafety Commissioner
Mobile Phones at school reminder
- Students must have their mobile phone switched off and kept in their lockers during the school day between bell to bell, i.e. 8.35am – 2.50pm. Students must not use their mobile phone during this period.
- If a student is unwell, they are required to go to sick bay and if required, the office staff will contact a parent/guardian for them. Students must not contact parents/guardians directly via their mobile phone.
- If a student has special circumstances requiring the use of their mobile phone during school hours (e.g. medical issues), relevant staff should be notified to request an exception with evidence provided.
- It should be noted that any student wishing to contact home, can request to use the telephone at Student Services Office.
- In normal circumstances, parents/guardians wishing to leave messages for their children should do so by telephoning the College. Staff endeavour to pass on messages during breaks to minimise interruptions during class time.
- If an urgent or serious matter needs to be communicated via a phone call, it must be done through the Student Services Office.
- For students, before school, recess, lunch and after school are opportunities to strengthen their relationships with friends, to enjoy being together, to talk face to face and to listen to each other. This is what being in a community is all about, and as such, phones or similar devices are to remain switched off in lockers during these break times.
Please refer to our Mobile Phone/Smart Watch Policy for all student expectations.
Mrs Tracey Rogers
Deputy Principal Pastoral Wellbeing