Gardaí warn of dangers of sexting

SENDING OF EXPLICIT IMAGES AND MESSAGES A PROBLEM IN SCHOOLS

GARDAÍ in Kerry have said they’re concerned at the prevalence of ‘sexting’ amongst the county’s youth, adding that many participating in the practice don’t know they could be breaking the law.

Sexting refers to the sending of sexually explicit images, messages or videos across a range of technological platforms, and speaking to The Kerryman this week, Garda Kathy Murphy said the issue is a problem in Kerry.

“The Gardaí obviously have a lot of co-operation with schools, and when we talk to principals or teachers, sexting is a problem they keep mentioning to us,” she said.

“We’d like to warn people that when you send something like that, you’re never certain what the receiver is going to do with it, and that’s where the danger comes from.”

Garda Murphy added that sending or possessing images or videos of minors is a criminal offence, even if the transgressors are themselves under-17.

“We’d like parents to talk openly with their children about the dangers of sexting,” she said.

“If a parent, or teacher, or anyone finds images or videos of someone they suspect is under-17, they should refer the matter to Gardaí. They might be embarrassed at the content, but the matter must be dealt with correctly., and that’s the procedure they need to follow.”

Killorglin-based Ger Brick of iNetSafetyTalks delivers cyberbullying and internet safety talks to primary schools across the country. He says sexting is a problem in many places, including Kerry, and has underlined the importance of educating children on matters like sexting.

“Education begins at home and parents are their children’s primary educators,” he said.

“Parents have a responsibility to get visibility into their children’s online lives, while also having regular, open and real conversations about what is acceptable or unacceptable behaviour online.”