Those are numbers that scare you. When you think about safe internet use, most parents may think that they have it "reasonably well" with their children. You talk about it and point out the dangers to them. You may even be of the regulatory type and still decide which websites are/are not available to your child. Yet 23% of Dutch young people have experience with sexting and I personally think that is quite a lot!
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If you delve deeper into the figures of the research that was done in the context of Safer Internet Day (February 7th now also has a stamp; SID) you will notice that more girls are involved in sexting than boys. I also find it striking, since I assumed that guys are the ones who distribute the majority of these photos. But nothing could be further from the truth.
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Here too the girls are on the 'winning' hand:
The survey also shows that more than a quarter of boys and girls (28.4%) 'engage' in sexting with dates. In slightly less than half of the cases, this involves sexting with people they only know online. Talking about safe internet 🙁 .
With regard to the topic of safe internet and sexting, it is the parents who can play a major role in this. They can limit the risks of unintentional distribution of these photos, the research shows. The more people talk about it at home, the better. It also appears that parents are by far the most important source of information for young people when it comes to online risks (77.2%). Followed by school teachers (47%) and friends (32.3%).
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Even though many a parent has blushed when discussing this topic, talking about sex-related online risks is now a standard part of parenting. Almost all parents (93%) therefore discuss the internet behavior of their child(ren), of which 65.1% talk specifically about sexting.
All in all, the conversation about safe internet browsing and sexting will still be age-related. For example, I don't see myself talking to my 7-year-old daughter about sexting itself yet. Although safe internet is already mentioned. For example, we already discuss what is and is not wise when she records a video on Musical.ly. I am therefore in favor of talking and explaining. To try to make my children aware of the risks. Repeatedly, because warning once obviously doesn't work.
The research also shows that asking questions and informing interested parties and a mutual conversation yield more than forbidding or negotiating. A bit of an oversight perhaps, but just so you know 😉 .
Often the first nude photo that goes online is for that one boyfriend you are so in love with, or that girl you have a crush on. Does a large part of the youth have such boundless confidence in his or her 'partner' at that moment?
The answer is NO! The research also shows that 9 out of 10 young people expect that there is a chance that spicy images will be distributed online. 64% even know that for sure!
That may be a significant improvement compared to last year (at that time only 10% knew this for sure), it still surprises me that these children -despite the risks they assess themselves- still decide to sexting. Safe internet access can then be a high priority for the parents… not really getting through to the children yet. With all the consequences that entails.
The biggest problem with sexting is the chance that the photo will be forwarded. Suppose such a photo goes around the whole school, then you can imagine what that does to the sexting victim. Unintentionally distributing nude and underwear photos can lead to bullying and serious psychological problems. We've all heard of a story like Amanda Todd's. The girl who committed suicide at the age of 13 as a result of her naked photo on the internet haunting her. In the film below you can see the documentary about her.
An intense story.
Snapchat appears to be the most obvious medium among young people when we talk about sexting. Snapchat is so popular as a medium because they think the photos there will be gone within 24 hours. But a screenshot is of course made in no time.
Image used via Shutterstock
