Ulladulla Police Sergeant Greg Churchill has warned “sexting is rife among teens” and has urged parents to be mindful of how their children are using the internet.
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Sgt Churchill has issued a reminder for parents and guardians to be aware of how their children are using their mobiles and social media. He has asked them to be more diligent in monitoring their children’s browser history, as police continue to see a surge in graphic content and explicit photo sharing.
“What I need parents to do is to start checking their children's devices to ensure they are using them correctly,” he said.
The reminder comes following a number of cases of lewd conduct between teenagers reported to local police this year.
“In the last couple of months we have cautioned four people under the young offenders act for telecommunication offences,” Sgt Churchill said.
“Offences like the improper use of devices such as phones and computers; and they were all for sexting on phones or via social media.”
Children and teenagers need to understand that what goes online, stays online,
- Sgt Churchil.
The warning follows schoolgirls from at least three Illawarra high schools being caught-up in a pornographic photo-sharing website.
The website is part of a graphic chat forum that features thousands of nude photos of non-consenting students shared by boys and men who appear to know them.
Police are powerless to stop the website and withdraw the content as it is hosted overseas.
“Children and teenagers need to understand that what goes online, stays online,” Sgt Churchill said.
“We are talking kids as young as 13 and 14 sending really graphic images and having explicit sexual conversations with people their own age or older and it’s often several conversations at the same time.”
Sgt Churchill has been surprised parents have no idea what about their children’s online habits and social media use.
“The main problem is parents don't monitor their kids activities and when they do it's a shock,” he said
“There needs to be more control and monitoring.
“Parents need to regularly check Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat and monitor the activity.”
Police have asked parents to be aware that these conversations can occur at anytime of the day which much of the activity taking place when parents believe their children are asleep.
“The conversations mainly start around 6pm and be going until 11-11:30pm,” he said.
“A lot of the time it’s when parents think their children are in bed, but what they don’t remember is they have their devices there with them.”
Safe internet use – tips for parents:
- Be aware of how much time your child spends on the internet.
- Spend time talking to your child about the dangers associated with online conversations, particularly when communicating with someone that they have only ever met online.
- Spend time exploring the internet with your children and let them teach you about their favourite websites and applications.
- Keep computers or internet-enabled devices in a room the whole family can access, not in your child's bedroom; and monitor the internet access and browsing history of those devices.
- Consider installing filtering and/or computer blocking software provided by your internet service provider.
- Ensure you are able to access your child's email and social media accounts and randomly check the accounts.
- Check your phone bill for unusual outgoing calls and consider using 'caller ID' to identify incoming calls.
- Consult your telephone company for options designed to ensure privacy and security.
- Enquire with your child's school, public library and places they frequent to find out what internet safety measures they have in place.
Safe internet use – tips for children:
- Do not send a picture of yourself to anyone you don't know.
- Never place a full profile and picture anywhere on the internet.
- Never give out your personal information, including full name, home address, phone number or school over the internet.
- Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone that you have only ever spoken to on the internet or telephone.
- Tell your parents or another adult you know of any contact that makes you feel uncomfortable.
- Think carefully before uploading or sending images or videos to people over the internet. Once you press ‘send’ it’s definite and final – you can’t get it back or take it down.
Further information and tips on internet safety is available on the NSW Police website at http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/community_issues/children/child_exploitation
