Thursday 13 June 2013

Youth Sexting & Cyberbullying

How Common is Sexting Among Teens?

The word 'sexting' a combination of sex and texting and refers to the sending of sexually related text or images from one mobile phone to another.
'To date, there have been no published studies examining how many Canadian teens have used their cell phones to send or receive nude photos. Three studies have examined sexting among teens in the United States.' In some cases, it was as high as 22%.
Read this report on Sexting: Considerations for Canadian Youth by SIECCAN.


Where Can Youth Find Help if Involved in Sexting?
If you (or a friend, peer or sibling) have been involved in a self/peer exploitation incident (otherwise known as “sexting”), NeedHelpNow.ca (from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection; image above) provides you with guidance on steps you can take to get through this.

The US National Network to End Domestic Violence has Tech Savvy Teens: Choosing Who Gets to See Your Information along with other resources, mostly for adults, on technology safety.


What Can Parents & Families Do about Sexting?
Read Self-Peer Exploitation (Sexting): A Resource Guide for Families from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.


What Books Can BCSTH Members Borrow on Cyberbullying? 
Remember - it's FREE to borrow by mail. Here are some of the resources that can be found in our library catalogue:
  • Cyberbullying : activities to help children and teens to stay safe in a texting, twittering, social networking world / Vanessa Rogers, 2010. [Book] MEMBER FEEDBACK: "Very informative for those, such as I, who are new to this topic. Love the activities! I ordered the book for future reference."
  • Cyberstalking and cyberbullying / Samuel C. McQuade, 2011. [Book] MEMBER FEEDBACK: "The book was very interesting; it has a lot of good information."

  • i-SAFE Internet safety activities : reproducible projects for teachers and parents, Grades K-8, 2010. [Book] MEMBER FEEDBACK: Useful and recommended to members.

  • Journal of a schoolyard bully : cyberbully / Farley Katz, 2012. [Book]. Fiction.

  • A parent's guide to cyberstalking and cyberbullying : protecting your children as simple as 1 - 2 - 3 / Alexis A. Moore, 2010. [Book]
Also review past blog post on Technology & Social Smarts: A Changing World for Children.

What resources do you recommend? Let us know or add a comment.

To borrow library resources, read "First Time Borrowers" if you are one. Please visit the BCSTH Library to learn more about resources and information services developed especially for members of the BC Society of Transition Houses, and contact us for more information.

Deb & Tina, Co-Librarians
www.bcsth.ca
BC Society of Transition Houses
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada