How to help your teen navigate sharing images and videos online
In today's digital world, we all play a crucial role in teaching young people how to share images of themselves and others safely and responsibly online.
To help your teen navigate sharing images and videos online, start by having open conversations about privacy and digital safety – not only for themselves but also for their friends and family. Teach them to think before they share by asking themselves who might see the content, how they would feel if it was reposted or reshared by others, and how it could affect them in the future.
Five ways to help your teen navigate sharing images and videos online
1. Always ask for consent
Teach your teen to respect others' online boundaries by always asking those who appear in the image or video if they're okay with what they share so that everyone feels safe and comfortable.
2. Managing digital footprints
What we post online is permanent, so teaching young people to curate their digital presence responsibly is important, so they don't affect their future opportunities such as employment.
3. Understanding privacy
Teach young people that once an image is shared online, they lose control over who sees it and how it is used, even if they delete it later. Implement privacy settings on all their social apps.
4. Online safety essentials
Sharing images and videos online comes with risks – predators, identity theft, cyberbullying, and trolling. Teach your young person not to post anything identifying where they live, study, work, or their general location.
5. Legal implications
Young people need to be aware that sharing explicit images or videos, such as intimate images of yourself or others, especially under the age of 18, can have legal implications.
What is intimate content, and why does it matter to our teens?
Intimate images are anything from nude or partially naked images and videos to a person performing a private activity such as getting dressed, going to the toilet, bathing or engaging in sexual activity.
It is very serious if someone asks for, keeps, makes, or shares intimate images of someone under 18 years old. It's very risky for young people to share or create these types of images, even if someone asks them to.
“Image based abuse” is the sharing (or threatening to share) an intimate image or video, without the consent of the person shown.
If someone does this, the eSafety Commissioner can help remove the content - or stop the threats. If you need help with an intimate image that has been shared, please get in touch with eSafety, and they will help you.
Should parents be allowed to share content about their kids online?
In a world where the average kid has at least 1,500 images posted of them online before the age of five, we need to ask ourselves, what are the issues for kids when the adults in their lives post content about them online?
What gets posted online stays online and can be accessed by anyone at any stage, for good or bad. Without realising the consequences, many parents and carers post images and videos showing personal information about where their child goes to school, what they like to do, and where they live, play and holiday.
In whatever we do as parents and carers, we should be privacy-preserving, limiting the amount of personal information we share wherever possible.
How teens view their online world
Teens view sharing images and videos online as a way of expressing themselves and connecting with friends. They see it as a form of self-expression and often enjoy instant feedback and validation from likes and comments.
31%
of teens aged 12 to 17 upload their own content at least weekly (2023 study by the University of Sydney).
4
different social media apps - YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat - on average are used by teens aged 12 to 17 (2020 eSafety study Digital lives of Aussie teens).
Where to go for help or advice
If you need further help or advice on sharing images and videos online, please contact eSafety for more information and resources.
Contact eSafety
