What's Up on WhatsApp: Handling Inappropriate Chat Situations

Our teens need to be equipped with the knowledge and confidence in taking the right course of action in the event that they encounter chat situations whereby inappropriate interactions or content has been shared with them.

These situations can be distressing for your teen (and yourself!) and your primary goal is to ensure the safety and well-being of your child and any other young persons involved in the situation.

Rather than reactively searching for solutions when the safeguarding concern occurs, proactively empowering your teen and yourself will help better manage your response (which trust me, will instinctively not be a calm one!) Knowing the immediate steps, can to a large extent, reduce the emotions and thoughts running through our minds, and to deal with the situation at hand in a clear and logical manner.

1.Trust the warning signs, their feelings of being unsafe and stop all communication - If your teen receives explicit content or is in a chat whereby they start to feel uncomfortable. disrespected or threatened by others in the chat interaction, assure them to trust their gut instincts and recognise the warning signs of a situation that is unsafe. At this point, they must stop all communication on the chat. Stay calm and if possible, they must alert a trust adult to seek help and support for the next steps.

2. Take screenshots of the inappropriate interactions and content shared - It will be instinctive for your teen to want to leave and delete the chat immediately. The same goes for us as parents with our instinctive desire to shield our children from such situations. However, by collecting evidence, we can further safeguard all persons involved, including the sender who may been also be teen who has been exposed to explicit content and unaware of its dangers. Collecting evidence at this point also prevents the sender from removing and deleting that chat contents. As such, it will be very helpful to take screenshots that include the profile name of the sender, date, time as well as the inappropriate chat interaction.

**However, in the case of explicit content, refrain from taking screenshots, forwarding, or saving the material, as these actions may be deemed unlawful. Sharing of explicit material, even in the context of reporting, can have legal implications.

For parents when dealing with explicit material:

• do not deliberately view the material — you will likely already have enough information about the material and who it concerns

• use written descriptions to note the nature of the material, observations and times and dates of events

• do not copy, print, delete or further share the material as it may be unlawful to do so, leave this to the police if they become involved

• do not, under any circumstance, send the image to yourself for evidence

eSafety Commissioner Australia:

A guide to dealing with the sharing of explicit material at your school

3. Leave that chat, block the contact to prevent further unwanted communication and report on the platform - Once the evidence is collected, by clicking on the sender's profile and scrolling down, you will be able to report the contact on the WhatsApp platform and block the contact.

4. Report this safeguarding concern to the relevant authorities and/or the school - This will prevent further incidents from occuring for your teen as well as other victims. If the sender is also a teen, you are also safeguarding them by ensuring that they receive the support needed.

Once the above steps have been taken to report and safeguarding everyone involved, continue to keep communication with your teen open and supportive. If the content brings up questions for your child, take time to keep your own emotions in check and approach the questions in a honest and respectful manner. By creating a safe space where our teens feel comfortable discussing online experiences and seeking guidance, it will only encourage them to speak to us in face of uncertainty.

These situations can certainly be challenging but taking proactive steps can make a significant difference and is crucial for both immediate resolution and safeguarding in the long term.

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References

• Media Literacy Council (2018) Tips to talk to your child about inappropriate content

• eSafety Commissioner (Australia): A guide to dealing with the sharing of explicit material at your school

• eSafety Commissioner (Australia): Receiving unwanted nudes