Cyber safety survey shows half of Bendigo teenagers think online bullying, sharing sexual images common

Half of the 2387 students thought it was 'common' to send and receive sexual images, BCHS Health Promotion and Community Development officer Siobhan Sullivan said.

"When asked about their experiences online, the most concerning trends were bullying or harassment by others, sending sexual images or content and unwanted sexual approaches in chat rooms, social networking sites or by email," she said.

"The overwhelming majority of students selected 'all' or 'most' of the time when asked how often cyber bullying occurs."

Three quarters of teenagers said they have been approached by a stranger online.

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The Bendigo Community Health survey was run in partnership with Catherine McAuley College, Marist College, Crusoe College, Kalianna School Bendigo, headspace Bendigo and Yo Bendigo.

Crusoe's principal Brad Madden said some caution was needed when reading the results because survey questions were designed to gauge teenagers' attitudes to cyber safety, rather than identifying people at risk.

"So if you look at the section on cyber bullying, the questions are around students' awareness of it, because kids are reluctant to talk about themselves," he said.

The questions about sexual images did not reflect what schools were dealing with, because a teenager's perception of what was common might not reveal the true scale of a problem, Mr Madden said.

"We do deal with those types of issues from time to time, but they are not 50 per cent of what we deal with," he said.

"There might be three to four incidents that we could see in a year, but what is far more common is that something sours within a social circle and that spills online."

However, Mr Madden said the survey's results were critically important because they would help shape how - and who - his school helped to maintain cyber safety.

That group included parents and guardians. The survey found 45 per cent of students would turn to for help if threatened online.

The group also included teenagers' friends, who 34 per cent would approach.

What's more, the survey found 23 per cent of students want to talk to parents or guardians about cyber safety.

A free webinar is being organised for parents to get tips and a greater insight into online safety. They can register at http://tiny.cc/CSPBendigo