Education needed on sex video consent

In an ideal world where teenagers were such sensible beings they always behaved more responsibly than their parents, there would be no risk of any of them sharing sexually explicit videos without permission.

These teenagers would never take risks with alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs, sexual relations, or anything else.

They would listen earnestly to the wise words of their teachers and elders, never act impulsively and always see reason.

But life is not like that and older people tut-tutting about what has been called a rampant teen culture of recording and distributing explicit images without consent will not change anything.

It is worth remembering too that this repugnant behaviour, which can include the filming of intimate acts, is not confined to teens.

While it might seem baffling to many older people, for some, recording and sending nude pictures to someone when they are in a relationship, has become commonplace in the dating process. In the heat of the moment, however, many (and not just teens) give little consideration to what might happen to such images if the relationship ends.

Netsafe says about 15% of its work each year involves so-called revenge porn where after a relationship break-up images are shared without consent to humiliate or intimidate an ex-partner.

We hope schools are not trying to keep instances of explicit video sharing quiet or maybe ignore them altogether, presumably fearful for their school’s reputation should the news leak out. Some certainly did not seem keen to talk to the ODT about this issue, with only the Otago Boys High School rector Richard Hall responding promptly to questions about this.

Turning a blind eye because this behaviour originates outside school hours is a head-in-the-sand approach which ignores the fact sharing will be going on in school hours if pupils have cellphone access.

Schools collaborating on education programmes highlighting the dangers of this behaviour and its long-term effects and the relevant law, and also looking at ways to stomp on any activity early and ensure there are appropriate ramifications for those involved, including referral to police if necessary, would seem sensible. They could also share any successes they might have in changing behaviour.

The part alcohol consumption plays in many incidents should not be under-estimated. Indeed, it was clearly a factor in the recent video which showed two First XV rugby players from an Otago secondary school engaged in a sexual act, cheered on by other teens at a party.

Netsafe’s research found almost four out of 10 teenagers surveyed knew someone who had shared nude pictures or videos and three in 10 were aware of someone who had received content they did not request.

It can be easy to go down the moral panic route and assume every teenager is sharing intimate content, but the Netsafe research found it was around 4% of those 14–17-year-olds it surveyed.

However, what was more common was the pressure to share, with one in five young people asked to send something.

The likelihood of sharing intimate content increased with age. While girls were more likely to receive requests than boys, they were no more likely than boys to share anything.

Parents who wonder what role they might be able to play in deterring risky and damaging behaviour might do well to explore Netsafe’s website including its Bare Facts campaign (in collaboration with the Classification Office of New Zealand) which is designed to teach young people and their families about the issues involving intimate image sharing.

Also, if someone has shared content without permission, Netsafe can explain the options available and provide expert incident advice.