New research reveals how many young people share nude images

Almost one in five teenagers have been asked for nude or nearly nude images in the last year, but only four percent of young people have shared pictures of themselves, according to the latest Netsafe research.

The research focused on young people throughout New Zealand between the ages of 14 -17. The results also revealed that nearly 40 percent of respondents knew someone who had shared an image and that 30 percent think there is peer pressure to engage in this behaviour.

“Sexting is a high profile topic, but there was a lack of local research to tell us how widespread it is,” said Martin Cocker, Netsafe CEO. “This is the first time this type of research has been conducted in New Zealand which makes the results very important. They tell us that lots of young people feel pressured to share intimate images however only a minority of them are engaging in this behaviour”.

Netsafe has worked with their counterparts in Australia and the United Kingdom to develop the study and determine how New Zealand teenagers compare to other young people.

The initial findings will be presented at Online Safety on the Edge, Australasia’s inaugural online safety conference, in Sydney from 1 -3 November. Netsafe is co-hosting this conference with Australia’s Office of the eSafety Commissioner.

Together they have gathered some of the best local and international online safety experts and thought leaders. Speakers from the ICT industry, government, law enforcement and the not-for- profit sector will discuss key issues including online bullying, egaming, online harassment and sexting.

More details about the conference can be found at esafety.gov.au/on-the-edge-17/agenda. Netsafe will release their full research findings about attitudes to nude images including gender and cultural differences later in the year.

Information to help people of all ages have a positive online experience is available at Netsafe website www.netsafe.org.nz.

"Conference delegates will come away with practical tools, insights and responses that they can immediately use to empower people everywhere to have a safer and more engaging online experience”, explained Martin.

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