Keeping Kids SafeWhy telling young people to avoid sexting doesn’t work and what to do instead with Giselle Woodley and Lelia Green
This is the 23rd episode of Keeping Kids Safe - A Bright Futures podcast by the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, featuring Bruce and Denise Morcombe.
In this episode we’re going to find out why telling our children not to engage in sexting - simply isn’t working.
It’s a conversation that many adults dread - talking to the young people in their lives about the dangers of sexting.
What is sexting? Young people refer to this more commonly as nudes or dick-pics. It’s creating explicit text messages, or naked or partially naked sexual photos or videos, and then sending them online through an app or from your phone.
While the dangers of sexting are well known, and adults think that we have made that clear to children by telling them “just don’t do it”, research from the Edith Cowan University is showing that approach is not working.
And that in the same way we teach school children about safe sex, we also need to teach them about safe sexting, because it is now such an omnipresent part of their lives.
Researchers Giselle Woodley and Lelia Green conducted extensive interviews with teenagers to find out how and why current messages to simply avoid sexting are failing to hit the mark, despite the legal risks that children know they take by doing it.
On this episode of Keeping Kids Safe - A Bright Futures podcast for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation - Giselle and Lelia tell us about the sensitive way they conducted their research, to give teenagers a voice on this complex issue, a voice which so often is not heard.
It’s time for difficult conversations to shine light on this hidden topic. This podcast talks openly about child abuse, child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation and harmful sexual behaviours.
Each episode of this series will feature practical insights on how to teach your child safety in the world today.
REMINDER: As Denise says in the podcast - Take care when listening. Please contact Lifeline if you need support after listening to this, on 13 1114 or you can call 1800 Respect.
GET IN TOUCH
This podcast is produced by Nance Haxton with production assistance from Michael Adams. To get in touch with the Daniel Morcombe Foundation about any of the information shared in this podcast, go to https://danielmorcombe.com.au/bright-futures/ or phone 1300 326 435
CREDITS
Host: Nance Haxton
With thanks to Edith Cowan University researchers Giselle Woodley and Lelia Green
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
The Daniel Morcombe Foundation - 1300 326 435 or https://danielmorcombe.com.au/bright-futures/
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/sending-nudes-sexting
https://www.esafety.gov.au/young-people/my-nudes-have-been-shared
https://www.esafety.gov.au/report/how-to-report-serious-online-abuse-illegal-restricted-content
