Year 6 kids sending dick pics, says concerned parent

Year 6 students at a Brisbane Catholic school are sending “dick pics” via a group chat, including on school iPads, a concerned parent has claimed.

YEAR 6 students at a Brisbane Catholic school have been sending “dick pics’’ via a group chat, including on school iPads, an outraged parent claims.

The Courier-Mail has been told at least 12 students from the primary school were involved in a group chat in which boys sent their female peers pictures of themselves, and images found online.

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But while the school yesterday confirmed a teacher found “some inappropriate language, inappropriate jokes and memes in an app on a number of students’ devices”, a spokesman denied the communication amounted to sexting.

The concerned parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said on Tuesday afternoon teachers told the class the situation was being handled, and not to talk about the incident to anyone.

They said the incident left their child upset and not wanting to return to school.

“I love them so much, the fact that it’s happening is scary, and what upsets me the most is the bullying for those who don’t become involved,” the parent said.

“This was all in the space of the afternoon, they didn’t want to go to school because of what happened, their (the school’s) lack of response is the scary part.

“We’re the first generation of parents with kids with social media and it’s hard to teach them.

“How do you teach them that what they do as a 13-year-old is there forever?”

A Brisbane Catholic Education spokesman said the chats appeared to have taken place after school hours.

“A parent alerted the school to some inappropriate language being used in a chat app that some students had installed on their personal devices,” he said.

“There were no pornographic images involved, nor any photos of the students’ bodies.

“The content did not include anything that could be considered ‘sexting’.”

A letter from the school to Year 6 parents, seen by The Courier-Mail, said the messages were causing distress for a variety of students involved.

“We also request that you speak to your children about the messages they are possibly receiving and sending, as we have concerns regarding the language being used, and images shared,” the letter says.

“We have spent time speaking with all students, however, would appreciate you all speaking with your children at home as well.”

Cyber-safety expert Susan McLean said schools were dealing with sexting every day.

“Schools are dealing with this daily, but the school is only going to deal with it when there’s already an aftermath,” she said.

The latest e-safety commissioner research into sexting showed that nearly one in three Australians aged 14-17 had some experience of sending, sharing or being asked to share nudes.