To survey 9-to-16-year-olds and their parents in 25 countries, UK-based EU Kids Online came up with questions and definitions that people of all ages and many cultures and languages could understand – bringing a useful sense of definition to youth advocates worldwide. Here are the online "risk factors" about which all the researchers (based throughout Europe) asked their young respondents: Have … [Read more...] about What is online risk?: Helpful clarity from Europe
sexting
The teen sexting ‘trainwreck’ & state laws
US Rep. Anthony Weiner's very public personal disaster story has made sexting top-of-mind again, but there's good news in all this: More and more states are considering "relaxing penalties for teen sexting," as the Boston.com headline put it, because lawmakers throughout the US are now recognizing that "the problem of teen sexting didn’t exist when they enacted harsh punishments for child porn and … [Read more...] about The teen sexting ‘trainwreck’ & state laws
Of school policy on sexting
The Cyberbullying Research Center has some helpful policy-development advice for schools – policy all middle and high schools should have in place, says Sameer Hinduja, author, researcher, and co-director of the Center. I so agree, because clearly stated and implemented policy reduces the emotion and politics that only add to the emotional harm some students incur by having extremely embarrassing … [Read more...] about Of school policy on sexting
Greater sensitivity needed in handling of sexting cases
Given the nature of the sexting case that federal judge Jennifer Coffman decided not to dismiss, it seemed like a good decision. A 14-year-old boy allegedly pestering for months an emotionally vulnerable girl his age into making and sending him a sexually explicit video of herself, the video then getting circulated around their school and in other area schools, with prank calls, vandalism, and a … [Read more...] about Greater sensitivity needed in handling of sexting cases
New sexting typology: Needed clarity
Two previous studies have given us brief very helpful insights into why teens send nude photos via cellphones – the MTV/AP 2009 study that looked at "sexting" in the context of dating abuse (as part of pressure, manipulation, and/or control) and Pew/Internet's 2009 qualitative research, finding that “these images are shared as a part of or instead of sexual activity … a way of starting or … [Read more...] about New sexting typology: Needed clarity