Sexting has become the norm for our kids
Lanarkshire kids as young as eight are sending and receiving sexually explicit images of themselves, according to shocking evidence uncovered by a Wishaw peer education service.
The LANDED project has revealed growing concerns about the number of young people posting indecent images and videos online.
And, with the backing of police, NHS Lanarkshire and North Lanarkshire Council, LANDED has launched workshops in schools to highlight the long-term implications of a behaviour that, shockingly, many young people consider to be a social norm.
LANDED, which supports and trains Lanarkshire people aged between 16 and 22 to pass on information about lifestyle choices, consulted Police Scotland in Lanarkshire who confirmed instances of so-called ‘sexting’ amongst children as young as eight.
Officers confirmed to project manager Jacqui Flanagan that there is a growing concern that young people in the region may limit their life chances if they are caught possessing or distributing sexually explicit images.
In an attempt to address the issue and raise awareness of the legal implications of sexting, LANDED Peer Education Service secured funding from NHS Lanarkshire to deliver a partnership project to explore the issue in more detail and provide guidance on how the law relates to sexting activity.
Delivered by its peer educators to allow a peer- led approach, charity LANDED has developed an interactive presentation aimed at all Lanarkshire secondary school pupils.
The presentation, which was delivered to 14,049 pupils in 20 North Lanarkshire schools during 2016/17, asked young people to be honest in terms of their experience with sexting.
This year, LANDED has presented on the subject of sexting to S1 pupils at 14 North Lanarkshire high schools, including St Aidan’s, Calderhead, Clyde Valley, Coltness, Brannock, Dalziel, Our Lady’s, Taylor and Braidhurst.
When young people talk about sexting, they usually mean sending and receiving naked pictures, underwear shots, sexual or ‘dirty pics’, rude text messages or videos.
They can be sent to or from a friend, boyfriend, girlfriend or someone they have met online.
“Some people might be doing it, but they are not aware that it is sexting,” explained LANDED sexual health development worker, Shannon Quammie, who stressed that if you are under 18, it’s against the law for anyone to take or have a sexual photo of you – even if it’s a selfie.
“We need to put it into young people’s heads what is acceptable and what is not,” she said.
If you pressure someone into taking a photo, or you share a sexual photo with someone, the LANDED team advises you are breaking the law.
During the workshops, the peer education team use images to show students what is sexually explicit and what is not.
An image of a girl wearing a bikini on a beach is, for example, not deemed sexually explicit and its sending wouldn’t be considered sexting because she is dressed appropriately on a beach setting.
A photo of a topless girl taken in a bedroom, or an image of a female wearing a bikini and posing in a wardrobe mirror would be considered sexually explicit – and the sending, receiving and forwarding of such shots could be considered sexting.
A report by NSPCC stated that nearly 1,400 calls related to sexting were received by ChildLine in 2015-16 – a rise of 15 per cent on the previous year.
In a survey accompanying the report, the NSPCC found that half of parents and carers did not know that it is illegal for children to take naked or sexual pictures of themselves.
ChildLine carried out 1,392 counselling sessions related to sexting during that year.
Information on sexting was also viewed more than 180,000 times on ChildLine’s website last year, more than either bullying or self-harm.
Jacqui, who developed the project, said: “It became very clear that in Lanarkshire, this issue was not going away and was growing arms and legs. Young people were beginning to see it as normalised behaviour. Through popular TV shows, young people are being bombarded by sexual imagery and they become numb to it.
“They think it’s not a big deal to show pictures of their body parts to people.
“But it is a big deal if you are under the age of 18 because you’re a child.”
During LANDED’s discussion with young people, an increasing number of them were saying they were victims of bullying, intimidation and embarrassment as a result of pictures which have been sent and ended up in wide circulation.
The Kenilworth Avenue- based project continues to work with them through a harm reduction approach that challenges existing negative attitudes and helps them to make better decisions in the future.
LANDED senior development worker Rosie Welsh accepts that you cannot prevent someone sending messages of this kind – but it’s what the recipient does when they receive these pictures that matters.
“We advise them to delete these messages, not to pass them on or save them, or show them to their friends,” explained Rosie.
“Any involvement with that picture could get you into trouble and even give you a criminal record or have you placed on the sex offenders’ register. If they are uncertain about a picture, they should raise it with an adult.”
Whether sexting is seen as a positive or negative experience rests on whether or not consent was given to share the images.
Social networks don’t allow naked images of people under 18. This includes photos of children who have turned 18 since the pictures were taken.
If you see a naked image of someone under 18, or someone has shared a naked picture of you, this is illegal.
If you’re over 18 and someone’s shared a naked or sexual picture of you without your consent, they too are breaking the law.
Inspector Martin Speirs of Motherwell Police Office said: “Mobile phones and other digital technology provide great opportunities for children and young persons to interact.
“However it is vitally important that parents and carers know how to keep their children safe whilst using mobiles. Speaking with them and informing them of the dangers is one way, the other is the actual physical check of their phone to see what is on it.
“For further advice and guidance go online to the Police Scotland website or www.thinkuknow.co.uk.”
Kerri Todd, assistant health promotion manager, North Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “Sharing sexually explicit photos, videos or messages, seems to be increasingly common among young people today. Such images, especially ones seen by people other than the intended recipient, could lead to harassment and cyber-bullying. This is why NHS Lanarkshire fully supports LANDED’s delivery of these sessions and would encourage all schools to take part.
David Craig, education officer at North Lanarkshire Council, said they have been working with LANDED for many years and they have a track record of producing excellent resources and training that are used in many of our schools.
“The programme aims to encourage young people to develop their personal and social skills and at the same time to grow in confidence and raising selfesteem,” he said.
“The benefits of a peer education approach means that relevant and factual information is provided to young people in a format that they can easily understand.”
A spokesman for NSPCC Scotland added: “Many young people tell our Childline service that they feel pressured into sending sexual images of themselves and don’t always have the confidence to say no.
“Once a teenager sends an image of themselves they have no control over where it is shared or who sees it, and sometimes images can end up online.
“It is vital that parents take the first step – even if it feels awkward – to talk to their child about the dangers of sexting.”