UPDATE 22/05/17: An adults-only forum will be held at Mingara Recreation Club on June 7th. The child-free event will tackle serious issues affecting kids across the coast. Starting at 7pm, the Central Coast Council of P&Cs, along with local Police representatives will aim to educate parents about cyber danger, and provide strategies to avoid llegal activities. Over-18-year-old members of the club and the community can register for the forum, Click here
Last year we heard about a pornography ring targeting schools on the Central Coast (click here for more, including which schools were involved)
We also saw disturbing figures about assaults – physical and otherwise – on primary and secondary campuses across the Coast (more here)
And as Coastie kids return for Term 2, parents are being warned of perhaps the biggest threat yet.
First there were the Baby Boomers, then Generation X, the Millennials, and now there’s Generation Sext.
It’s quite possibly the scariest set of all.
Latest research shows that the average age an Australian child is first exposed to pornography is just 11 years old.
Add in the fact that nearly half of Aussie kids aged 8 to 13 have their own mobile phone, and it’s 24/7 communication – young people have the world at their fingertips, and there’s some serious texting – and sexting – going on.
A 2015 survey showed that 50% of teens have used a mobile phone to send sexually explicit images of themselves. The Australian Institute of Criminology found that 1 in 2 of the 1200 teens surveyed said they’d sent it to someone with whom they were in a relationship, 15% of teenage boys and 10% of teen girls have sent a sext to more than 5 people; and with 1 in 6 saying they’d shared it with a 3rd party as well, sometimes the kids in question have no clue just who is seeing what they send…
Teens found guilty of sexting face a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail and can be placed on the child sex offenders register. NSW Police laid more than 120 charges relating to sexting by people under 21 just between January 2010 and September 2014 alone.
Most of the matters reported to local police over the past year involved 14 to 16 year olds; along with reports of younger people being involved, it’s mostly those in Years 9 and 10 when kids are more inclined to share provocative images of themselves.
And while it’s part of the NSW curriculum to teach kids from Kindergarten up to Year 10 to prevent and protect themselves from cyber bullying as part of PDHPE lessons, it seems there’s a long way to go to change students’ knowledge, understanding and attitudes about sexting. Even just getting through to some that once it’s “out there”, it’s very hard to get it back.
While apps like Yik Yak and Vine have been shut down or modified amidst bad press, it’s recommended that parents and carers check a child’s phone for others like Kik, Down, Yellow, Whisper, Omegle, ChatRoulette, Tinder, Blendr, Grindr, and have a chat about using these applications. Some games have also come under fire for inappropriate approaches, particularly those that offer interactive chat functions. And apps like Poof help kids hide other applications on their device…
Snapchat is perhaps the most common app that teens use for explicit pics. It lets users send photos and/or video which self-destruct after a person has viewed them for a few seconds — but experts say it’s still enough time to snap a screenshot, share it, and share again.
Those selfies can soon become someone-elsies!
And so Central Coast police, principals and parents prepare to join forces to provide better education, and promote safety online all the time, with a forum this term.
In the meantime, it’s a good time to remind kids that there’s no such thing as safe sexting. Click here to get the fact-sheet
Report any inappropriate behaviour or content to Crimestoppers 1800 333 000
Get advice at the NSW Government Family & Community Services Parent Line on 1300 1300 52
And for any young people needing support:
Kids Helpline 1800 551 800
Youth Beyondblue 1300 224 636
