Primary: Pressure pix

Mobile devices have made the taking and sharing of images so easy that people sometimes don’t think about the consequences of their actions.

What’s the issue?

Mobile devices have made the taking and sharing of images so quick and easy that people sometimes don’t think about the consequences of their actions.

Why does it matter?

Even your closest friends can sometimes ask you to do things that you might not be comfortable with. If things go wrong it can wreck your relationship.
There are laws about what sort of material can be sent electronically, you can break these laws without even knowing.
People’s sense of what’s ‘ok’ can be different even when you agree on lots of other things.
Close relationships are based on trust.

Advice

Use your best instincts

Developing a personal ‘compass’ that helps you to make decisions is important. When you let other people persuade you to go against your instincts it might not be the best thing for you.

Have ‘real’ friends and be a ‘real’ friend yourself

You have no automatic right to take images of other people without their consent. If you do capture that hilarious moment, asking the person’s permission before you share it with others is a good way to show that you care about their feelings and opinions.
If someone does something you are unhappy about, don’t get into blaming them but explain your feelings calmly so that they can understand you better. They may be sorry for what they have done, or they may feel that you are overreacting - if they really care about you they will still listen and try not to hurt you again.

Get help to learn more

Get your teacher to work with your class about what the laws say about sending stuff electronically.
Brain science tells us that the emotional part of our brains fire up much more quickly than the thinking parts of our brains (that’s why we sometimes act before we think). There are great exercises you can do to help get the thinking part to kick in, find out what they are!