Children and teenagers need to realise the dangers of technology, warns cyber crime sergeant
Children are making themselves victims of online ridicule and bullying by sharing intimate images with so-called boyfriends and girlfriends, not realising they are open to be shared on again to peers.
Detective Sergeant at Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau, Wexford-based, Eoin O’Connell said: “If they are sharing an intimate image of themselves with someone who they think is a partner they might as well put it on a billboard on the main street, particularly young girls.” The Wexford Divisional Protective Services Unit has received reports of such activity and anecdotally, Sgt O’Connell in the Cyber Crime division, is aware from online safety talks at school, that many young teenagers have admitted to sharing images and to passing them on to peers also.
“Where we’re seeing a lot of changes is with children making themselves victims by sharing images of themselves amongst their peers. It’s not for predators and it’s not for apps or anything like that. It’s more them being willing to share intimate images of themselves or of themselves with their peers. We are starting to see more and more of it.”
More than 90pc of child sexual abuse webpages taken down from the internet now include self-generated images, according to the British charity responsible for finding and removing such material.
The Internet Watch Foundation said that it discovered self-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) featuring children under 10 on more than 100,000 webpages in 2023. That figure is an increase of 66pc on the year before.
Meanwhile Education Minister Norma Foley recently highlighted how challenging it is to keep children of primary school age safe when they can easily sign up to social-media apps with a minimum age of 13 years.
“There are cleverly designed features such as ‘friendship streaks’ – where children get a flame icon showing the number of days they are in contact with their best friend on the social-media app. But it is use it or lose it – children have to use the app every single day to keep the friendship streak going,” she said. “I know there are teachers who see the impact of this in the classroom – children who are sleep-deprived or whose attention span has been damaged by a constant diet of mind-numbing 30-second online videos.”
She said she hoped more parents and schools will sign up to voluntary agreements to not provide their child with a smartphone until they finish sixth class to help ‘ keep childhood smartphone free’.
“The aim is to delay the purchase of a smartphone until a pupil is older – not to deny it forever,” she said. “Delay, not deny.”
Sgt O’Connell said technology use among children and teenagers is a source of huge concern for him.
“People don’t realise the risks technology brings to them. I can absolutely say we are seeing more and more children and young teenagers being involved in this sharing of intimate images. As someone who goes out and speaks to teachers, children and parents about this regularly, young people have to realise the risks they are putting themselves in by sharing photos. What we see a lot of is young people who have shared these photos to their friend or boyfriend or girlfriend and then for that image to be shared to others.”
He said shock and worry is clearly visible on the faces of students during talks by guards when they are made aware that sharing an image of themselves is an illegal act, and that furthermore, passing on such an image to peers is also an illegal offence.
“They are child sexual abuse material for which people can get jail under the Child Trafficking & Pornography Act. We really don’t like to call it pornography because that normalises it. It’s child sexual abuse. The kids who are sharing these images don’t realise what they are doing. The ‘partner’ (sent the image) might share the image sent to him (or her) in a chat group with friends, saying this is what I got.
“Members of the unit give talks at schools and to groups and they are seeing a lot of young people who will put their hands up and say they have shared images of themselves and we are also seeing a significant number of kids who are saying they have shared intimate images sent to them to other friends.”
In 2021, Ireland adopted the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act, known as ‘ Coco’s Law’. Tragically, in 2018, Nicole ‘Coco’ Fox took her own life aged 21 after being relentlessly bullied online and abused physically for three years.
Coco’s Law created two new offences which criminalise the non-consensual distribution of intimate images: The first offence deals with the distribution or publication of intimate images without consent and with intent to cause harm. The penalties applicable can be an unlimited fine and/or seven years imprisonment.
The second, less serious offence deals with the taking, distribution or publication of intimate images without consent even if there is no specific intent to cause harm. This offence will carry a maximum penalty of a €5,000 fine and/or 12 months imprisonment.
The new legislation has given the Gardaí the tools they need to make sure that those who commit this abusive crime can be prosecuted and, if prosecuted, the courts will have sentences available to them that reflect the level of harm these crimes cause to their victims.
Threatening to share intimate imagery can be a feature of coercive control in relationships. The law states that if the offender was in an intimate relationship with the victim, then this could be considered an aggravating factor for the purposes of sentencing. There is also the worrying development that intimate image abuse is being used by scammers purely for monetary or financial gain. This can lead to “Sextortion”.
Sgt O’Connell said the Covid pandemic saw a huge, sudden shift online for all facets of society. “You get victims of sextortion who are adults but it also definitely opened up children to be vulnerable.” His regional unit – which has five members and is currently expanding with a competition for new officers run across the bureau – assists the Divisional Protective Services Unit on the technical side of investigations.
“I don’t think there has been a huge or dramatic increasing in grooming from gaming cases here in Wexford, but I do see a dramatic increase in children making victims of themselves.”
He said giving children unfettered access to devices ‘is like asking the broader community to raise your child’.
“You don’t know who is coming into your home, whether it’s through a tablet or phone. Before when we only had the Tv it wasn’t interactive, so now parents have to take a certain responsibility but also kids have to take responsibility and to know the risks.”