"ANALYSIS - Prof Shaheen Shariff, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Author of Sexting and Cyberbullying - Defining the Line for Digitally Empowered Kids
"The research we did recently, which is in my book, found that kids aged 9-12 and then 13-17 don't quite understand where they cross the line from jokes and flirty fun when sexting or distributing intimate images to where they are actually breaking the law.
"It's everybody's responsibility. If it involves classmates there's an obligation to the school but it's important that parents are involved.
"We need to start looking at the bigger picture and to look at rape culture, to look more deeply at the roots of cyber bullying and sexting.
"Research has always focused on children's behaviour online but we need to look at the systemic forms of misogyny, homophobia and discrimination - these are the forms that sexting and cyberbullying are rooted in and adults are the worst models of this.
"Until we address what adults are doing we really can't blame the kids for copying us.""
- Date Published:02/10/2015
- Original Publication:BBC