A recent survey found that 28% of Australian teens know someone who is having their own explicit images used against them.
Over 11,000 teens participated in an online event organised by Generation Next as part of its not for profit youth Cybersafety initiative. As part of the event Cybersafety expert Brett Lee surveyed the audience of teenagers from all over Australia. Other key findings were that most teens would want to ‘take sexting images back’ if there was any chance that they would become public. Given the number of teens still engaging in sexting, this points to a lack of understanding that any image shared online can potentially be made public.
Brett Lee is a former detective from Queensland Police who has also trained in safety and child exploitation with the FBI. Generation Next is a registered charitable organisation focused on raising awareness on the plethora of modern issues that impact on the mental wellbeing of young people.
The false assumption of privacy is common among Internet users of all ages, but especially young people, says Brett. "These internet spaces have been set up to give the impression of privacy. People tell me that they think it’s private, that they have a right for it to be private, that they demand it be private, but the simple fact is that it’s not private. People need to understand that any time they’re online, they’re in the most public place they will ever be."
Many parents are in the dark about what modern children do online. Teachers and other professionals who work with young people are more aware but are struggling to keep up with the digital divide. Yet its parents and teachers who are most responsible for helping young people stay safe online. ---
That’s why Generation Next is now working with leading Australian Cybersafety experts like Brett Lee to keep our Australian kids safe in cyberspace. As part of these efforts, they have organised a free webinar open to anyone looking f
