Media Release
8 February, 2016

Sexting as concerning for kiwi parents as cyberbullying

Teenagers sharing naked pictures of themselves has become a number one concern for kiwi parents – with sexting emerging as the most-viewed topic on the digi-parenting.co.nz website.

Since July last year, almost 10,000 people per month have visited www.digi-parenting.co.nz, launched by Vodafone to help kiwi families navigate and make sense of the digital world. The website’s page on sexting is now the most frequently visited.

Vodafone’s Digi-Parenting Manager Liz Wilson says it’s a clear indication of what parents are really worried about.

“Parents have long been concerned about online predators or their children stumbling across pornography, but now they’re increasingly concerned about sexting and cyberbullying,” Liz says.

The trend is in line with what families are telling internet safety watchdog, NetSafe.

“The stats on digi-parenting.co.nz are significant – sexting is becoming more and more prevalent amongst New Zealand teens,” said Sean Lyons, NetSafe’s Chief Technology Officer.

“You’d be hard pressed to find a teen that hasn’t been asked to send a naked or semi-naked photo of themselves in New Zealand. For some teens, it’s become quite a normal part of dating,” adds Lyons.

Vodafone and NetSafe are working closely together to recognise Safer Internet Day on February 9th – a global initiative that promotes the safe and positive use of the internet and digital technologies, particularly amongst young people.

Research conducted in 2015 showed that more New Zealand teens experience cyberbullying than those surveyed by Vodafone in ten other countries worldwide, with nearly one in three (30%) kiwi teens having experienced cyberbullying, compared to the global average of 18 per cent.

Ahead of Safer Internet Day, Vodafone has developed five top tips for parents – key information which could make the difference between their children having a good or bad experience online.

Tips:

1. Be better prepared by taking a strong interest in your children’s involvement with technology

2. Make sure they know who to talk to if things get out of control. Find other solutions to challenges, rather than instantly reacting and confiscating their devices
3. Understand how technology and social media sit in the fabric of young people and how it is an important factor in the development of their social activity

4. It’s really important to raise the topic of sexting as part of a wider chat about relationships. It might be embarrassing, but it’s definitely less embarrassing than dealing with naked pictures all over the internet

5. Be more aware of who you share images with and have conversations with people about the photos they use. Just because we can share something, doesn’t mean we should

ENDS

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