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Being Cyber Safe Part 3: Sexting

Sexting... sending nudes... what are we talking about?

Sexting is the sending of sexually explicit images, messages or video. A sext can be sent in a text message, an email, or through social media.

You might feel a bit embarrassed or uncomfortable working through this section, but we want to discuss some important issues you should know about so that you stay safe and don’t break the law.

If you are doing this learning at school they may have let your parents or guardian know that you are learning about what the law says about technology and nudity. If you have any questions about this section, we encourage you to speak with an adult you trust. 



What's the law of sexting?

The law says that it if you are under 18 you cannot do any of the following using your phone or device :

  • ​send a naked photo or video of yourself to someone
  • ​send a naked photo or video of someone else
  • ​have a photo of someone who is under 18 on your phone or device.

This video looks more at sexting (it goes for 2:12 mins).

Thanks go to Dept of Health WA for producing it. The video mentions Kids Helpline which is for all young people across Australia. 



When things go wrong

This video from Project Rockit (3:25 mins) has some important information on how to support someone whose photo has been leaked…

(The hyperlink referred to at 2:35 is the video by the eSafety Commissioner, below.)



7 dangers of sexting

Sexting can cause a lot of harm to you and to others. Here are the top 7 dangers of sexting:


1. Child pornography. Sexual images of anyone under 18 is child pornography. And that's illegal. You can get into serious trouble for having child pornography on your device.

2. Sexual predators. People who want to do harm are out there. A predator can easily pretend to be someone else online.

3. Sextortion. This is being told to send a nude or something bad will happen to you. Sextortion is a form of cyberbullying.

4. Getting Hacked. Images and content shared via technology can be hacked and used by people you don't know.

5. Reputation. A mistake done online can have lasting affects for years to come. Is a photo of you doing something as a teenager something you want your boss, or your partner's parents, to see in years to come?

6. Re-send. It's easy to forward a message, even on apps where messages "disappear". It's also easy to accidentally resend. Think twice about sending something via your device.

7. Oops, wrong send. That's right! You might just send it to the wrong person… like one of your parents! 



Explore ​

If you want to take this topic one step further, check out one of the following websites for more tips and information about sexting:




Reporting - how to lodge a complaint

Here's a final video from the eSafety Commissioner, on how to make a complaint if things get out of control (it goes for 2:51 mins).  


Classroom task​ - policy making


​Make ​some notes based on the video "nudes" to help make a shared agreement in your class about how people should respond to sexting.

Your notes should address things like:

>>  What the law says

>>  How your school should respond, and

>>  How support can be offered to those affected.


This "shared agreement" can also be called a "policy". A policy tells people what they should do in certain circumstances. Your school will have an ICT policy that would cover some of the things that you would include here.

Do some research and find your school's ICT policy and compare it to the notes you have made.

 >>  How many of the things you identified are covered in your schools ICT policy?

 >>  What else does your school’s ICT policy cover that you didn’t think of?  



Review


​Make ​some notes based on the video "nudes" to help make a shared agreement in your class about how people should respond to sexting. 

Number sequence

Have a look through the list under the heading "7 dangers of sexting" above.

  • Which do you think is the most important? Why?
  • Which do you think is the least important? Why?

​Have a go at re-numbering the list in order of importance, with #1 being the most important and #7 being the least important. 

Puzzles

Follow these image links for puzzles to review your knowledge of this part:



Where to next?

Previous: Part 2

Next: Review


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Last updated: 05/02/2021