Sexting: a new teen cyber-bullying 'epidemic'

[Jazzy]

Cheltenham has many claims to fame: gorgeous Regency architecture; the Gold Cup; GCHQ. But last week it hit the headlines for a far more undesirable reason: a 14-year-old boy from the town was arrested for posting a pornographic video of himself and his girlfriend on Facebook.



For many adults, the reaction was disbelief and horror. But for teenagers themselves? “It’s so commonplace that I doubt many would bat an eyelid,” says 16-year-old Amy. “If I asked around, I could probably get 10 to 20 photos that have been sent around or put on Facebook in under an hour.”



Amy’s reaction isn’t unusual. Sexting – sending sexually provocative pictures, messages or video clips via a phone or the internet – has become an “epidemic”, according to Sherry Adhami of the charity Beatbullying. “We’re seeing it more and more – we’ve even seen it in primary schools,” she says. “It’s 100 per cent classless; this affects children whether they’re in deprived or affluent areas.”



When Beatbullying carried out a poll of 2,000 children in 2009, they found a third of children had received a sexually explicit message online, while a quarter had received an image. Research from Plymouth University reveals that 40 per cent of 14- to 16‑year-olds say they have friends who have engaged in sexting. Worryingly, nearly 20 per cent did not think there was anything wrong with full nudity in such images, while 40 per cent thought toplessness was acceptable.



And while sexual experimentation has always been part of teenage life, experts fear that young people are being coerced into providing explicit photos online, which are then shared without their consent via phones and social networking sites – a process known as “doxing”.



“For the first time in human history, everyone has got a camera in their pocket,” says Jonathan Baggaley of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). “And with apps like Instagram you can share a picture across multiple platforms at the click of button.”



Crazes sweep through teenage groups. But according to Jon Brown of the NSPCC, unlike the Cheltenham case, most teenagers share photos via BBM (BlackBerry Messenger): “Unlike Facebook (which teenagers refer to as Baitbook, because parents and others can easily see what’s on it), it’s a closed network – you have to invite people and have a PIN.”



Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...xting-a-new-teen-cyber-bullying-epidemic.html



IMO, if they're stupid enough to be doing this then they are setting THEMSELVES up for cyber-bullying or worse yet, attracting sex offenders.



What are your thoughts on this?

 

[The Dragon Master]

I think they need to be taught about how this isn't right for people their age, if they will listen is another matter entirely.

 

[Evil Eye]

None of my business who they decide to share nudes of themselves with... Just think sites like Facebook will ban their accounts.

if they will listen is another matter entirely.

It'd be a waste of money for precisely that reason :/