Think before you send!
Think before you send!
"Think before you send" an initiative by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre to highlight the dangers the youth are exposed to when sending indecent images of themselves to each other, often called 'sexting'.
To support this message and to mark to mark EU Safer Internet Day 2011 A hard-hitting video was released today.
‘Exposed’ a 10-minute film by the CEOP Centre, shows a teenage girl distraught after indecent images she sent to her boyfriend are publicized on the internet.
She is under heavy anxiety as she argues with her alter-ego that she can never take back what has happened and warns others to be cautious of what they send in texts and emails, saying anything sent and shared can become "public and permanent", affecting lives and even job prospects.
Research from a Beatbullying survey carried out in 2009 revealed that 38% of 11-17 year olds have received a sexually explicit or distressing text or email, with 70% admitting they knew the sender.. Young people often fail to realise that by digitally sharing such images, they may lose control and may never really know where it ends up. There has been increasing evidence that such images are being shared with wider groups of friends. In some extreme cases, CEOP has found these in the collection of child sex offenders and their networks.
Peter Davies, Chief Executive of the CEOP Centre said, “We know that young people are increasingly using technology not only to stay in touch, but to explore their sexuality and to push the boundaries in what they send and to whom they send it. It is now so easy to send pictures instantly via emails and texts that we are seeing instances of boys or girls sending sexual images of themselves to others without considering the consequences. They often find out later that the image has been passed on to many others and as a result they can be the victims of bullying or harassment.
"In some rare instances we have seen these images end up in the collections of offenders. It is important that we look to raise awareness of this risk by launching new resources into our established education programme Thinkuknow so that young people can make the right choices".
Crime Prevention Minister James Brokenshire added it was a "worrying trend".
"We should encourage young people to use technology but it's really important that they are made aware of the dangers involved too," he said.
“I welcome this new campaign which will help to raise awareness of the risks and educate young people about staying safe online."
Charlotte Aynsley, Beatbullying Director of Practice continues: "Beatbullying is extremely proud of our long standing partnership with CEOP. It is vital we are able to work together in such a capacity and continue to produce useful tools to help highlight child safety online."
"Early intervention 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 our children and young people safe online as well as offline."
CEOP are also council members of the government's UK Council For Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) and will be supporting the launch of new good practice guidance for moderation, social networking, search, chat and instant messaging services - available at www.education.gov.uk/ukccis - and will continue to endorse the work of the UK Safer Internet Centre which is formed of Childnet, the South West Grid for Learning, and the IWF. Visit www.saferinternet.org.uk for more information.
Peter Davies emphasised the need for partnership and wider collaboration saying "The real value of UKCCIS from our point of view is providing that mechanism and forum for ensuring collaboration from all interested sectors. This is fundamental to making children safe today. No matter what sector or position we represent, I truly believe that only by working together can we collectively make a real difference in making the internet safer today and into the future. That is why we as always remain fully committed to the principles of this vital Council".
(For the full video go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ovR3FF_6us)