Study: Czech teenagers’ intimate lives moving online

The intimate lives of Czech schoolchildren are increasingly shifting online, beyond parental supervision, according to data from a survey involving more than 40,000 children aged 13 to 17.

The study by the Safer Internet Centre Czech Republic, conducted in cooperation with Palacký University Olomouc, ascertained that a fifth of teenagers share nude photos with strangers online and ten percent of respondents were willing to meet or had met with a stranger who contacted them online. In six percent of cases, someone other than the expected person arrived at the meeting, the report said.

Michal Barbořík, head of crime prevention at the Interior Ministry, said children are frequently victims of  blackmail as a result of this activity online and he also warned parents against sharing content that is not intended as erotic but could still be misused.