Teenagers bullied by ’sex texting’
By Maggie Holland in Editorial
Posted in Mobile on
There’s no doubt that mobile and communications technologies (such as email) have changed our lives for the better. But, there’s a down side to everything.
More than a third of UK teenagers have been bullied via mobile phones or email, according to the Beatbullying charity. Perhaps more worryingly, the form of abuse they’re suffering is so-called ’sex texts’ whereby they’re exposed to sexually explicit images or content. Most often, this harassment is coming from other teenagers, but, in some slightly more disturbing cases, the bullies choosing ’sex texting’ as a method of intimidation are actually adults.
“This is about campaigning for the rights of our young people and for digital safety. We need to address the fact that sexual peer to peer contact is being exponentially facilitated through new technologies,” said Beatbullying’s chief executive Emma –Jane Cross.
“The Byron report made a commitment to protecting our young people in this complicated new online era, the Government has a duty to ensure it meets these recommendations. We need to take series note of what has happened in the US and Australia. To avoid similar cases here, politicians must work together with organisations like Beatbullying to create an intervention and prevention task force in schools and communities.”
She concluded: “This needs to be part of the solution if we are to educate our young people, teachers and families about the consequences of their actions and how to keep safe online as well as offline.”
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