Poll reveals shocking scale of sexting

STUDENTS have developed a ‘sexting’ awareness campaign after they discovered two out of three of their schoolmates had received or been asked for sexually explicit photos or messages.

Pupils at Coláiste Bríde in Clondalkin, Dublin, launched the ‘Comprehend Before You Send’ initiative after a survey they carried out revealed a majority of students had been asked for nude pictures, RTÉ reported.

Pupil Emma-Kate Farrell, 16, said: ‘The results of our survey were shocking.

‘And we soon realised that this is not only happening to people who are 16, 17 or 18. It is happening to first years as well.’

The school’s awareness drive arose out of a project for the Young Social Innovators (YSI) education programme.

It comes as this newspaper continues with the Irish Daily Mail ‘Protect Our Kids Online’ campaign, calling for a minimum age for smartphone ownership. The students launched the initiative because they were concerned about the number of their peers being asked for nude pictures.

YSI teacher Lisa Kelly told RTÉ: ‘Out of a class of 21, aged 15 to 16, almost all of them had been asked for a nude image at some stage.

‘The students also noticed that in their generation there is an increase in sexual exploitation and online abuse. Schools, parents and politicians can all work together on this. Something really needs to be done.’

The YSI students at Coláiste Bríde plan to make their ‘Comprehend Before You Send’ campaign available to other schools.

One of the pupils, Robyn Maguire, 16, said: ‘We know schools get digital safety talks, but we feel that if people closer in age are informing them, they may care a little more than having someone twice their age telling them to not go online because it is not safe.’