Lisa Harrison Lisa Harrison
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Lisa Harrison Lisa Harrison
Create Your Badge
Sexting “Exposed” a 10min video all parents and teenagers need to watch
The popularity of smartphones and social networking sites is keeping us connected but leaving us open to danger, deception and a loss of academic or career opportunities. For teenagers add in impulsiveness, multitasking and the ability to instantly post or text from a mobile device, and the results can be disastrous.
Many of us haven’t set secure privacy settings on our profiles, and may not realise how easy it is for a Facebook friend to spread embarrassing content from a private profile.
In August this year more than 230 police delegates from the Asia-Pacific region attended a three-day Women and Policing conference in Hobart, where Assistant New South Wales Police Commissioner, Carlene York, said social networking sites can be dangerous places for children, who must learn about cyber bullying and grooming by sexual predators.
These threats have always been around for parents to educate and keep their children safe from, but with the advent of technologies a new player is raising its ugly head. In recent years the practice of sexting – using a mobile device to send out explicit photos – has become mainstream and most parents have not even heard of it. Mark Metherell wrote in his article for the Syndey Morning Herald that “there was now a free sexting app available for young people to download to their smartphones, which although it promoted safe sex, does highlight how potentially normalised this behaviour has now become”.
In March this year the Brisbane Times reported that online child exploitation squad officers investigated four boys and two girls, all aged 13 to 16, for sending and possessing images of a sexual nature, employing digital technologies.
So you can imagine my delight when I found out about this 10 minute drama “Exposed” through an article by Christopher Burgess . It portrays a 15-year-old girl called Dee, who makes a now very common mistake of sending via (SMS – text messaging) five photos of herself to her boyfriend, nude photos. She then finds out that her boyfriend has shared the photos with a friend, who shares them with another and then before you know it the photos are shared widely.
Sexting is illegal!
So take a moment and watch this film, which was released on February 8, 2011 as part of the Safer Internet Day 2011. The film was produced by the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and targets children age 14-18. And though prepared for a UK audience, it is absolutely suitable for use by parents to share with their teens, high schools with their students and churches with their youth. (Chris Burgess)
Parents need to know that it’s about education, it’s about parents knowing what their children are doing.
To assist parents and young people, the Australian Communication and Media Authority provides useful information. Alternatively, information is available from ThinkUKnow program produced by the Australian Federal Police and Microsoft.
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Really great post Lisa. My daughter is only 10 at the moment and doesn’t yet have a mobile phone etc, but will book mark for when she is a teenager!
Hi Anne thanks for your support. This is something i am very passionate about and educating parents on how they can keep their children safe because if we don’t who will. When she is a teenager it will be interesting to see what new trends are around with technology moving so fast.
Great video Lisa, I’ll share it with my teenage son… the message is great, think about your future, think before you hit ‘send’… it applies to adults as well! thank you
Thanks Taty, when i saw it I just had to share with all the parents, let me know what your son thinks.
Thanks for putting this out there Lisa. Great video. I will be referring to this one regularly.
Hi Karen, you will have to share with me the feedback from those you show this video. Thanks for your support. Cheers Lisa
Thanks Lisa, my son is 11 and no phone yet. But I know where to go now to have this discussion with him.
Yeap Krishna keep this one in your little box of tricks so your onto it when you need.