Kids as young as 10 share nude pics of classmates: Study

Children in groups 7 and 8 of primary school, so about 10, 11, and 12 years old, sometimes already share nude photos of peers. This is the conclusion of the DUO Education Research and Advice bureau and the KRO-NCRV journalistic platform Pointer. Together they surveyed employees of primary and secondary schools.

The researchers asked over 400 teachers in groups 7 and 8 about their experiences with "online shaming," i.e., the unwanted distribution of intimate photos and videos. Almost a hundred of them have had to deal with this at their school in recent years, so nearly a quarter of the participants.

Some children undressed in front of a webcam, after which the recorded images were shared. Other children were secretly filmed taking a shower during a school camp.

Of the teachers who have encountered online shaming, two in five said the number of incidents increased in the past five years. Nearly half of the surveyed teachers said there are no clear agreements on what should happen when nude images of a pupil are circulated.

In secondary schools, 90 percent of respondents encountered online shaming. Here too, nearly half said the phenomenon is increasing.

The survey was conducted in November among 410 groups 7 and 8 teachers and 279 secondary school care coordinators and team leaders. The researchers said the group of primary school teachers is representative, but among secondary school staff, it is possible that mainly people who experienced online shaming responded. It is, therefore, possible that intimate images are shared less often in secondary education that appears from this study.

Pointer's investigation will be broadcast on NPO2 on Sunday evening.