July is here, and this time we are looking at Love Island, a new tool for reporting nudes, exam results day and our fabulous word of the month.
POP CULTURE: Love Island
Once again, Love Island has returned to our screens with most viewers being young people and young adults. The premise of the show is that a group of people stay in a sunny villa in a lovely, spending lots of time round a pool in swimwear aiming to couple up with someone else and win a cash prize.
Many go on Love Island with the hope of becoming an influencer, to the point where they now must sign contracts stating their awareness that they may not become famous or even be liked. It’s also interesting how relationships and dating are gamified by reality shows, where being physical with someone else is portrayed as the ultra-norm. It nudges us to think about where our young people get their models of healthy relationships from – not just Love Island but from social media, TV shows, books, the culture around them etc.
The sad reality of shows like Love Island is also the negative impact it plays on people’s mental health. Hannah unpacks this more in the podcast, but there have been at least 3 deaths linked to the show, reminding us of the pressures of influence and that fame can be tough.
DIGITAL WORLD: A Tool For Reporting Nudes
Recently, a tool has been created so that under 18s can report nude photos of themselves that they find online or know have been shared in the digital space. This has been created in partnership between Childline and the International Watch Foundation and you can find it here: https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/remove-nude-image-shared-online/
Young people are able to report anonymously when they find an image, but also if an image hasn’t been shared yet (but they believe it may be) then there is a process for this too to help avoid it being shared online.
This tool is incredibly useful for young people to know about regarding their safety, but such a tool is only necessary because there is a need for it. Whether through grooming, internet leaks or peer-sharing there are under-age images spreading online. In fact, many young people don’t realise it’s illegal to take and share nudes even if it’s of themselves and that, even if you are also under 18, it’s technically illegal to save a photo. Equally, many are unaware how much trouble they can get in for threatening to share other’s pictures too.
HOT TOPIC: Results Day
It has been a whirlwind of a year when it comes to exams as the typical GCSE and A-Level exams were swapped out for teacher-assessed grades. This year, results days have moved forward slightly to the 10th August for A-Level results and GCSE results coming out just two days later on the 12th.
This year, in England, appeal fees have also been scrapped so if a young person feels their grade unfairly reflects their work or impacts their entry to college or university this will be able to be done without financial barriers.
With Results day a couple of weeks away still, now is a great time to think about how best to support the young people you are in contact with.
Word Of The Month
‘Mood’ = relatable, can be interchanged for ‘same’ in some circumstances, usually a positive or neutral reaction to something (note: does not mean being moody or in a mood.
Example: ‘I have to set two alarms because I’m so not a morning person’ ‘Mood’
OR
‘That’s such a mood’
Subscribe
If you have enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe using the buttons below.