A new resource for schools on the topic of sexting has been launched to mark Safer Internet Day 2016. Lockers is an information and education resource. It assists schools in coping with and preventing the sharing of explicit self-generated images of minors.
Lockers is the first Irish education resource of its kind to tackle the sensitive subject of sexting.
Intended for use with Junior Cycle SPHE classes, the education resource is supported by two newly developed animations and six lesson plans. Lockers was developed to support schools as they address the issue of non-consensual sharing of intimate images (sometimes referred to as ‘revenge porn’), in the context of the SPHE class.
The resource aims to foster empathy, respect and resilience and to help young people understand the consequences of their actions.
Lessons focus specifically on the laws around sexting, on the peer pressure and stereotyping that can contribute to non-consensual sharing and on how students can get help when incidents of non-consensual sharing occur. One of the lessons also explores the practice of victim-blaming, through the For Your Eyes Only animation and through an extract from Louise O’Neill’s bestselling book, Asking For It.
The resource features differentiated worksheets. This means that the resource can be easily adapted for use with students of different abilities and with different learning needs.
Also included in the resource is an information section for school leaders. This 25-page section informs principals on the context for sexting among young people, the laws that can come into effect when underage sexting occurs and the implications for school policy. Considerations for schools dealing with incidents of sexting are also outlined.
Lockers was produced by Webwise, in collaboration with the Special Education Support Service, the Inspectorate in the Department of Education and Skills, the HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme, Pauline Walley SC, Brian Hallissey BL, and An Garda Siochána. The resource can be downloaded here and hard copies of the resource can be ordered, free of charge.
Worried about something you have seen online or concerned about your child? Childline and the National Parents Council Primary offer free advice and support service.
Childline is a support service for young people up to the age of 18.There is a 24hr telephone, online and mobile phone texting service.
The National Parents Council Primary enables and empowers parents to be effective partners in their children’s education.
Sometimes you might unwittingly stumble across illegal online content like child abuse imagery. Always remember: you can report it and get it removed using Hotline.ie.
Hotline.ie exists to combat the distribution and proliferation of illegal content, like child sexual
abuse content, in conjunction with police and Internet Industry