A sex act filmed at an alcohol-fuelled Dunedin secondary school first XV party and then widely shared was done on a dare.
The Otago Daily Times recently reported the filming and sharing of explicit material was rampant among the region’s teens, sparking concern about the effects on victims and the potential for court action against the perpetrators.
It followed a widely shared clip of two members of John McGlashan College’s First XV engaging in a sex act at a party while other teens cheered them on.
School principal Neil Garry did not respond to requests for comment at the time.
But he broke his silence this week in the school’s newsletter, saying the video had caused significant distress to those involved and the school was offering support.
The message said the boys involved acted on a dare, which was filmed, at a "private social event".
"The video was shared widely, causing great embarrassment to all involved.
"As you can imagine, this has been very distressing for the boys and their families."
The school’s priority was the wellbeing of the pupils, and there were serious concerns around the impact of any media coverage, social media sharing and "community gossip".
"We continue to hold concerns about the effects of sharing and discussing this short moment in the boys’ young lives by their peers and the wider community."
The pupils had reflected on how they had conducted themselves, he said.
"We can all make mistakes, especially teenagers, but what is most important is how we learn from those mistakes.
"We all know the impact social media can have on young people, and of course, the glare of the news media spotlight can amplify any online discussion.
"There have been suggestions that a more public response could have come sooner, but we had to consider the immediate and serious concerns for the wellbeing of the boys and their families, so felt it was not appropriate before this."
Mr Garry finished by saying he was available to meet any parents who had concerns, and the school was working "extremely hard to deal with and move forward from this issue in a way that ensures the wellbeing of the boys involved".
Speaking previously to the ODT, Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis, of Dunedin, confirmed police had not investigated the John McGlashan video, and no complaint had been made.
He said the filming and sharing of intimate videos was "really prevalent".
Filming an intimate act, and the distribution of an intimate recording, without consent, are crimes.
Police had prosecuted teenagers for creating or sharing intimate recordings before, he said.
