Parents urged to stop teens 'sexting'

The NSW government has launched an education campaign to warn children about the dangers of so-called 'sexting' and posting images on social networking websites.

Sexting involves sending suggestive or sexual images through mobile phones that can then be posted on the internet or forwarded to other people.

The government has produced a fact sheet for schools, parents and young people to warn about the possible lifetime consequences of the growing practice.

It is urging parents to speak to children about the issues and to check their social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook sites.

"More and more parents are telling me how worried they are about their children making a silly mistake that can affect them for the rest of their lives," Community Services Minister Linda Burney said in a statement on Sunday.

"Reports from concerned adults are becoming more frequent. There is an urgent need for us to address this issue.

"I urge parents to warn their children about the consequences of sexting.

"It may be a difficult conversation but I think every parent will agree it is a very important one."

She said the Department of Community Services (DoCS) had received reports of girls as young as 13 sending sexually explicit images to their boyfriends' mobiles, which are then passed on to other friends.

"Everyone needs to understand that first and foremost, it is illegal to take sexual photos of children and young people and it is also an offence to pass them on," Ms Burney said.

"Young people often don't think about the consequences of their actions.

"What they think is an innocent joke or harmless flirting can be very damaging if it falls into the wrong hands."

Mr Burney said the potential damage was often irreversible.

"Once the photo is sent, it's just a push of the button to forward it or load it on to the internet," she said.

"It is frightening to think that once these images are online or on a phone, anyone anywhere in the world can access them.

"It is then impossible to retrieve and delete them. They are there for ever and can damage future career prospects or relationships."

Parents wanting more advice can contact Parent Line, a 24-hour parenting advice line, on 1300 1300 52.

The fact-sheet for students, parents and teachers will be distributed to NSW public schools on Monday.