`Sexting' tackled

Friday, July 30, 2010

Echuca-Moama primary and secondary schools teachers attended a screening of a new short film aimed at reducing `cyberbullying' and `sexting' among students.

The 15-minute film, Photograph, was produced in Bendigo by the CentaCare Sandhurst Loddon-Mallee Cyber Safety Project, Developing Ethical Digital Citizens (a program funded by Telstra Foundation), a district film-maker and 40 Bendigo teenagers.

Photograph tackles the problem of sexting or the creating, sharing and forwarding of sexually explicit images and text by teens.

The short film shows the repercussions when 15-year-old Holly sends an inappropriate photograph of herself to her boyfriend, Dylan.

The story focuses on the emotional impact on Holly, her parents and her friends and the legal and emotional impact on Dylan and his parents.

Aired at international conferences on cyber safety, Photograph is a unique film. Nowhere else in the world has sexting been tackled in such a way, by involving teenagers in the production of a film for them on the subject.

The short film has features for teachers and community groups to use to promote discussion about what can be sensitive issues involving teenagers, sex and its repercussions.

It also features interviews with Sergeant Matt Gildea from the Bendigo Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Unit, who said sexting among teenagers was out of control, with children as young as 12 involved.

St Joseph's College student welfare co-ordinator Bernice Farmer said the film would be launched at a community level to district parents and students later this year, with a goal to develop `digitally' ethical citizens in the community.