GENERAL - AS TECHNOLOGY GROWS, SO DOES SEXTING AT SCHOOL ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA

Sexting especially among teenagers and schoolchildren is increasing as the use of mobile applications grows.

More shocking is that young boys and girls are increasingly exchanging sexually explicit pictures of other pupils during school hours while some are even charging fellow pupils for allowing them to view sexy videos on their cellphones.

Sexting refers to the practice of sending sexually explicit photographs or messages via mobile phones. Film and Publication Board spokesperson Janine Raftopoulos said anecdotal evidence compiled through school visits indicated sexting and other cyber transgressions were big in classrooms. She said sexting could lead to prosecution but few people were aware of this.

“As a result, a lot of people who are victims of sexting do not report it,” Raftopoulos said. Revenge porn and sharing sexually explicit images is a big factor in schools and many pupils, teachers and parents are not aware that depending on the circumstances this can be a crime that is prosecutable.

“We advocate responsible online use by all citizens and awareness of the consequences associated with sexting and what the law says about it,” Raftopoulos said.

The board conducted focus group discussions with teachers in KZN in 2015, which revealed that boys surreptitiously took videos of young attractive female teachers and shared them with friends.

It also found the kids sexting, cyberbullying, recording and showing sex videos of fellow pupils (a pupil was charging others money to view such a video on his phone). The study found that teachers were increasingly frustrated about the lack of authority to enforce phone policy rules because parents fought with teachers for confiscating phones used in class in contravention of policy.

She said the board had a cyber safety awareness programme. “We go into schools informing them about being cyber savvy, the dangers of the online space, sexting and grooming, what it is and how they can protect themselves, as well as child pornography,” she said.

NGO Women And Men Against Child Abuse advocacy manager Germaine Vogel said a Human Sciences Research Council study showed that children living in poverty seemed to be most at risk.

“It reports that after being desensitised through exposure to pornography many children are lured into exchanging explicit pictures of themselves in exchange for airtime, money and material possessions or in other cases for drugs and alcohol. Some children even become victims of adults looking for sexual relationships with under-age partners,” she said.

new fad: There is growing concern about the increase in sexting by pupils at school.