Teachers should search for and delete inappropriate images on their students’ mobile phones to prevent them being distributed and used for cyberbullying, a Home Office minister has suggested.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Norman Baker said teachers should utilise extended powers granted to them to go through students phones and delete “sexting” images.

The Liberal Democrat crime minister was responding to calls from fellow MPs to consider banning teenagers from using smartphones altogether if they were being used to bully their peers by posting intimate images on the internet.

“We have given teachers stronger powers to tackle cyberbullying by searching for and, if necessary, deleting inappropriate images or files on electronic devices, including mobile phones,” Mr Baker said. “It is critical to educate young people about the risks of sending intimate photographs.”

The greater search powers given to teachers were introduced under the coalition’s Education Act in 2011, but were described by experts as going “beyond those of the police”.

As TES reported at the time, human rights group Liberty described the controls as “excessive”, adding that they were akin to those used in “terrorist investigations”.

Children’s charities and anti-bullying groups have spoken repeatedly of the dangers young people face if they share intimate pictures via text message, with many girls being coerced into sending images of themselves.

Speaking in the same debate, Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston urged the government to go further in its crackdown on cyberbullying involving sexting, and demanded an outright ban on teens using smartphones.

“The minister will be aware that many young people have been pressured into sending intimate photographs of themselves only to find that those images are sometimes posted, distributed or shared without their consent, which is an important form of bullying and harassment,” Ms Wollaston said.

“What measures have been taken, and does the minister support measures to prevent smartphone use by those who are not mature enough to understand that it can result in an important form of bullying?”

But when discussing the matter on TES Connect’s forums, teachers appeared reluctant to to use the powers available to them, suggesting that they were intrusive.

Sexting — sending sexually explicit messages or pictures — has been proven “not uncommon” for at-risk early adolescents in a study published Jan. 6 by a team lead by Christopher Houck, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior.

The study found 22 percent of seventh-grade participants who were identified as “at-risk” by their Rhode Island public schools reported to have sexted in the past six months — 17 percent with messages and 5 percent with photos.

The study, titled “Sexting and Sexual Behavior in At-Risk Adolescents,” was conducted by researchers from the Bradley/Hasbro Children’s Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital and Alpert Medical School and was funded by the National Institute of Health.

 

A rise in technology

One of very few studies done on early adolescents in this field, it focused on students “identified by their schools as potentially having symptoms of emotional or behavioral difficulties,” Houck said.

Four hundred and eighteen students completed long surveys, in which four of the questions were yes or no questions pertaining to sexting. The researchers obtained the information privately to encourage honest answers, Houck said.

“The intersection of technology and sex and sexuality was of interest to us because there’s very little literature out there,” Houck said. Most sexting studies have been with college and high school students, he added.

This study, in particular, looks at the connection between emotional competence, sexual behavior and sexting, Houck said. “We do a lot in adolescent sexual risk behavior in general, but we’ve never looked specifically at sexting and how it relates to sexual risk before.”

Sexting is a “marker” of sexual behavior in seventh-grade students, Houck said. Other markers include emotional and behavioral problems, therefore leading to the focus on at-risk students.

Since the study was conducted on youth who were identified as being at-risk, “this may increase the number of youth who are reporting sexting, since it appears that teens who sext may be involved in multiple risk-taking behaviors, including, of course, engaging in sex and risky sex,” wrote Eric Rice, assistant professor at the University of Southern California and researcher in the field, in an email to The Herald.

The team’s hypothesis, based off of previous works, held true — “those who are engaged in sexting are more likely to engage in sexual behaviors,” Houck said.

This discovery “reinforces our finding that teen sexting is relatively common, even among younger adolescents,” wrote Jeff Temple, an associate professor and psychologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch who did postdoc research at Brown, in an email to The Herald.

While the hypothesis held true, Houck said the team was surprised to find that those sending picture messages were even more likely to be engaged in sexual activity than those sending text messages.

Ultimately, the findings of the study show that “the line between online and offline behaviors is becoming increasingly blurred,” Temple wrote.

 

Monitoring information

Houck said he believes the information found can be widely used to combat risky sexual behaviors.

Houck urged parents to confront their children if they find sexually explicit messages or photographs on their computers or phones. “Don’t just dismiss it as kids being kids, because we think of it as a marker of probably something more,” he said.

Parents should “perhaps use sexting as a means to introduce the topic of sex and safe sex,” Temple wrote.

It is important for parents to monitor information and communicate with their children, Houck said, adding that involvement is crucial to prevention.

Those found to sext were also found to have greater emotional problems, Houck said.

Sexting can be used as a tool to “get around those awkward social moments,” he said. “This study would say that those who sexted feel less competent in terms of their emotions.”

Some argue mobile phone technology is no more sexually risky than passing notes like kids have been doing for years, Houck said, but there are two large differences.

First, everything is faster with technology, he said. “The whole process that used to take a couple days now can happen in a few minutes.”

Second, the digital nature of the messages makes them easier to share with others by forwarding, making the risks associated with sexting much more serious, he said.

 

A ‘bigger target’

This study is part of a much greater initiative, Houck said. The surveys the students took included many other questions relating to other aspects of sexual behavior, and the data for this specific study came from one of many surveys taken in the greater project.

As a whole, the study looks to find an effective method to “prevent sexual risk behaviors,” Houck said. The participants take the baseline survey, which the sexting results came from, then complete one of two programs. They continue to take the survey every six months to see which program proves more effective, he added.

Originally proposed in 2008 and starting in 2009, this five-year project is only now beginning to wrap up, with the participants now in high school, Houck said.

Ultimately there is a “bigger target” to the project, Houck said. “If we can keep early adolescents from having sex, then we have a better chance of reducing some of the negative outcomes that could happen from sexual behavior, like STDs, early pregnancy, that kind of thing,” he added.

As of now, it is unclear whether sexting leads to sexual behavior or whether sexual behavior leads to sexting, Houck said. “With the larger study, hopefully we’ll be able to look longitudinally and see a pattern as to which comes first,” he said.

The data from the complete two-and-a-half-year time period will be used to “see the trajectory of these two behaviors and how they go together,” Houck said.

Already this year, we’ve heard a lot about youth and sexting. In a study published by theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics, researchers found that nearly one-quarter of at-risk middle school students between the ages of 12 and 14 have sexted in the past six months.

With younger age groups having access to more social platforms, it’s imperative that parents use their cyber-shields to spread awareness of online safety and the issue of sexting. This not only means talking to your child about how to respond to a questionable text or email, but also how to react if someone is harassing them on Facebook or Instagram.

What is sexting?

According to Merriam-Webster, sexting is “The sending of sexually explicit messages or images by cell phone.”

However, that definition can easily be expanded today. Cell phones aren’t the only medium for sexting. On the contrary, all forms of social media can be used for this purpose. In the digital world — where our children and teens spend so much time — the playground for sexting is growing. From Facebook to Twitter, Instagram and even YouTube, a child is able to engage in sexting.

Sexting: online and off

When young people sext, they often lose control of the situation quickly. Messages can easily be intercepted or forwarded to unintended recipients, which is a nasty form of cyberbullying.

The consequences of sexting also extend offline. When something that was intended to be a private communication ends up in public, the shame and humiliation can drive our kids to the point of self-destruction. Another consequence of sexting: Experts have found children and teens that sext are more likely to engage in real-world sexual activity than students who don’t sext.

The issue is compounded when adults aren’t setting the right examples. The media often reports on sexting cases that involve public figures. “10 Cases of Sexting Gone Horribly Wrong” discusses politicians, teachers and even a talk show host who were caught committing sexting crimes. These adults should have been role models for our youth. Instead, they provide examples of what not to do.

Start the sext chat

For years, many parents have cringed at the thought of having the “birds and the bees” conversation. Now, we have to open the door for the “sext talk” with our kids at an even younger age. Jessica Logan, Hope Witsell, Audrie Pott and Amanda Todd are all names that have become linked with the aftermath of sexting and cyberbullying, which go hand-in-hand. As a study in Pediatrics reveals, we have to realize that we’re dealing with even younger emotional lives.

It’s a parent’s responsibility to empower their children with the knowledge to make good choices about how to use all forms of technology and social media. But how can parents approach “sext education”?

• Start talking: When your kids hear news of sext crime cases, initiate a conversation. Talk about how sexting leads to negative consequences even for adults.

• Just do it: You may not get a perfect time to break the ice, but don’t wait for an incident to happen. Be proactive and use the recent APA study to open the lines of communication.

• Make it real: Kids don’t always realize that what they do online is “real-life.” Ask them to consider how they would feel if their teacher or grandparent saw a provocative comment or picture. Remind them there’s no rewind online and no true delete button in the digital world. Comments and photos are not retrievable.

• Address peer pressure: Teach your kids to be self-confident and take pride in their individuality. ‘Am I pretty enough?’ is a burning question for many young girls today. It takes just a few keystrokes to help them feel good about themselves — or exponentially worse. Acknowledge that social pressure to participate in sexting can be strong. But remind kids that public humiliation stemming from it can be a million times worse.

• Give them control: If kids receive unwanted sexually-charged messages or pictures, they should know what to do next: Be the solution. They should tell you or another trusted adult, and never forward or share those messages with friends.

Takeaway tips:

• Learn about services like uKnowKids that offer free Facebook monitoring for your kids.

• Be an educated parent and keep up with the digital times.

• Communication is the key to prevention. Talk, talk, and talk even more about it.

• Being kind online goes a long way. Learn how digital responsibility impacts everyone and#TakeNoBullies.

VICTORIA, British Columbia, Jan. 11 (UPI) — A Canadian teenager has been found guilty of “sexting” pictures of her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend she found on his cell phone.

The girl, who was 16 at the time she sent the pictures in November 2012, was convicted Friday in juvenile court in Victoria, British Columbia, of distributing child pornography and making threats, a youth prosecutor, Chandra Fisher, said. She was allowed to remain free on bail while she awaits sentencing.

The prosecutor said the girl was angry when she learned her boyfriend, then 17, was still friendly with his former girlfriend. She made threats on Facebook and then broadcast the pictures she discovered.

Fisher said the teen, whose name has not been released because of her age, is the first juvenile convicted in Canada of child pornography in a sexting case.

Notts County Council have told Capital more young people could get involved in ‘sexting’ as more mobile devices, like phones and tablets, were activated over Christmas.

Matt Rooney’s part of a team at Nottinghamshire County Council which goes into schools to warn about online dangers like sexting:

‘Loads of kids said we know how to be safe on the internet, we just choose not to’ and that is really worrying.

‘I can pretty much guarentee if you said to a 15 or 16-year-old in Nottinghamshire ‘have you heard of sexting?’ they would say yes.’

Last year, calls to Childline about ‘sexting’ increased by nearly thirty per-cent.

‘Sexting’ can leave you vulnerable to blackmail

The Dangers of Sexting
– Vulnerability to blackmail and harm: young people may think ‘sexting’ is harmless but it can leave them vulnerable to blackmail where someone may threaten to share the pictures with family and friends unless they send money or more images

– Bullying: if images are shared with their peers or in school, the child may be bullied.

– Unwanted attention: images posted online can attract the attention of sex offenders, who know how to search for, collect and modify images.

– Emotional distress: children can feel embarrassed and humiliated. If they are very distressed, this could lead to suicide or self-harm.

Online hate campaigns have rocketed, with stalking and death threats rife on social media sites such as Facebook.

Thousands are living in fear and police have seen huge rises in reports of the web crimes, many of which are part of break-ups and family feuds played out in public.

Some cases have resulted in violence, rape and child abuse, while others featured revenge porn – where people share explicit snaps of their exes, our research shows.

Freedom of Information requests were made to all 43 police forces in England and Wales for incidents of threats and harassment through social media.

Of the 26 to respond, 18 recorded increases in the past three years, with 13 seeing rises of more than 50% and five of 100% or more. One force even saw a rise of 225%.

However, Chief Constable Andy Trotter, of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said legal guidance made it difficult to prosecute.

He said: “Every force has specialist investigators who look into crimes with a link to social media. As the threshold for prosecution in relation to crimes using social media has been set very high, this means that only the most serious offences will be prosecuted.”

The UK has 33 million Facebook users and 10 million people on Twitter. Police records show Facebook in particular is being used increasingly to launch hate campaigns.

Devon and Cornwall police saw a 225% rise in complaints – up from 138 in 2010/11 to 449 in 2012/13. Northern Ireland had a 186% rise and North Wales reports soared 124%. Staffordshire’s doubled and Warwickshire’s went up by 90%.

Humberside saw an 82% rise in crime on Facebook and Twitter – from 116 in 2010/11 to 211 in 2012/13. Offences included rape and meeting a child after sexual grooming.

Social media sites have also been used to breach restraining orders, track down police officers and pervert the course of justice by intimidating jurors. Victims were wrongly accused of being paedophiles and, in a number of cases, harassment led to violence and sex attacks. Threats included one man posting: “You’ve got 24 hours to get out or I will set you on fire – I’m going to kill you.”

And one officer’s report stated: “Ex-partner has been sending texts including threats to post explicit pictures of the aggrieved on Facebook. These have then been posted over a number of days.” It comes as the US and New Zealand prepare laws to prosecute those who use revenge porn to humiliate victims.

In the UK study, actual complaints could be even higher as police only included incidents where named social media sites were mentioned. The responses did not indicate how many resulted in a conviction.

The CPS said: “If cases involve a credible threat or messages that amount to a campaign of harassment, we will prosecute robustly. Where messages are offensive we have to strike a difficult balance between the right to free speech and whether something is so grossly offensive as to be criminal.”

Forces to buck the national trend and see a reduction in social media crime included Norfolk, Derbyshire, Cambridgeshire and Wiltshire.

‘We moved after Facebook threats to torch our home’

Former bailiff Mark King was forced to uproot his family after Facebook users threatened to burn their home to the ground.

An argument with a neighbour over minor car damage escalated when she blamed Mark and wife Jennifer, 39, for having too many parked cars in the street.

Dad-of-two Mark, 45, said: “Jennifer and I weren’t on Facebook, so we knew nothing about it until a friend came round with his laptop and said, ‘You have to see this’.

“The neighbour had put our names and address on there, saying she hoped someone would burn our house down. People were posting saying they would arrange it.

“There was reams and reams of it – it just went viral. People were saying they would glass me in the face if they saw me in town.

“Every time we heard the letter-box go, we were thinking, ‘Is someone pouring petrol in?’”

Jennifer was afraid to be left alone in the house with the children and the couple sought advice from a lawyer friend. But they were told the police were unlikely to act because the threats had not been made directly to them.

Within six months, the family had sold their home in Thorpe St Andrew, Norfolk, and moved. Mark said: “We lived in quite a prosperous area but this can happen anywhere. We were driven out of our home.”

What to do if abusers target you

By Graham Jones, internet psychologist and author of 11 books on the web

There are practical steps victims can take if anything negative appears about them on social network sites.

Firstly, it is best not to reply. That just winds up the situation, making it more likely someone will respond and it will go even further.

And victims of negative behaviour shouldn’t talk about it on their own page. It is also a good idea to alert the social network to the abuse. And the police may need to be informed.

Currently not enough priority or resources have been given to the online arena and more specialist police officers are needed.

Several Government-led initiatives on the internet demonstrate a distinct lack of understanding of what’s happening in the online world .

Our politicians either do not understand the internet, are being given poor advice or are not listening to the advice they receive.