According to data from the Aula TIC PYMES of the USC, 40% of adolescent girls in Europe between the ages of 14 and 15 see no problem in taking photos with sexual content. 1 in 6 minors would take them completely naked. This fact, in itself, is already worrying, but it is even more so if we take into account practices such as sexting, sextortion, and grooming. If half of these words sound foreign to you or you wouldn’t know how to fully explain what they are, keep reading.
At dide we believe that knowledge of these practices helps to identify and eradicate them. Therefore, we encourage parents to get to know their children better and the online world in which they are immersed, to ensure their safety not only in the physical environment.
What is sexting?
If we take into account that this English word derives from “sex” which means sex and “texting” which means sending, we will already have a slight idea about this practice. Sexting consists of sending messages, photographs or videos of a sexual nature over the Internet, with instant messaging and social networks being the most used channels. Although this practice is very common today, the main sexting practitioners are adolescents between 12 and 16 years old, although it is also very widespread among adults, sometimes it constitutes a privacy problem. The main problem with sexting is dissemination; when an image leaves a mobile phone, control of it is lost. It is impossible to know who, when, or where it has been seen.
Statistics on Twitter for the hashtag ‘fototetas’ as of 05/11/2017
What is sextortion?
Although it can be very related, it is important not to confuse this term with sexting. Sextortion is sexual blackmail. The extortionist blackmails the victim with private content of the user, usually sexually explicit photos or videos. This content can be obtained by hacking technological devices, sexting, or grooming. In exchange for not disseminating said content, criminals demand something in return, from money, more content, payments, or favors of a sexual nature.
What is grooming?
Grooming is understood as the series of actions and strategies carried out by an adult to gain the trust of a minor, through the Internet, with the aim of obtaining favors of a sexual nature. It is, therefore, sexual harassment of minors online. The person who performs these actions is called a ‘ groomer’.
Their most common tactic is to pose as minors in order to contact their targets, gain their trust and, in this way, get them to send them sexually explicit content that compromises them. Once they get the files, they blackmail and extort the victim to get abuse in real life. When this happens, the ‘ groomer’ becomes a pedophile.
Having explained these terms, you should know that the Spanish Penal Code in section 2 of article 183 defines these practices as a crime:
“Anyone who, through the Internet, telephone or any other information and communication technology, contacts a minor under sixteen years of age and performs acts aimed at deceiving him/her into providing pornographic material or showing pornographic images in which a minor is represented or appears, shall be punished with a prison sentence of six months to two years.”
Advice for parents on sexting, sextortion and grooming
- Talk to your son/daughter about the wide dissemination that files can have on the Internet.
- Make them understand that having permission to take or receive a photo of someone for private use does not mean they have permission to disseminate it.
- Explain that even if they send the files to a friend or partner privately, third parties can get hold of them for harmful purposes.
- Make your son/daughter aware of the methods that criminals use to access private files.
- Scan the computer for malicious software and remove it.
- If you think your son/daughter may be suffering blackmail, use dialogue and understanding. It is a serious issue that must be addressed.
- If your son/daughter suffers sextortion or grooming, save all the evidence of the blackmail and report it.
- Place the computer in a common place or one that you can easily access to take a look. Give them privacy but have the ability to know what they are doing.
- Restrict the use of the webcam and cover it when not in use. Malware can access it.
- Make sure they use a nickname on the network.
- Get to know their friends, and if possible, their phone contacts.
- Know their needs, their mood, their learning difficulties… to offer them family and professional help (the dide family digital questionnaire makes observation easier for you).
Seek help from specialist professionals
However, in order to intervene appropriately, parents must establish adequate communication based on trust to become aware that their child is being a victim of cyberbullying and therefore, seek the corresponding help from specialist professionals (lawyers and psychologists) in prevention and intervention in the phenomenon, who will provide advice and management of the conflict.
The specialists at LOMBER Cyberbullying, through dide technology, facilitate the recognition of indicators that may lead to a possible situation of bullying or cyberbullying (for example, problematic behaviors, school and/or family maladjustment, low mood…), or if, on the contrary, they are facing a potential minor aggressor.
You may be interested in: Violence through new technologies. Dissemination of videos and their impact
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