YOUNG PEOPLE ARE being encouraged to think about their “digital lives” today – and to consider their online identity.

To mark Safer Internet Day 2011, an awareness campaign has been launched to spread understanding about the opportunities and risks of sharing information online – something children are doing at increasingly early age.

In the UK, a leading child protection agency has tackled the darker side of a person’s “digital identity” by making a short filmed aiming to alert young people and their parents about the dangers of “sexting”.

‘Exposed’ is a 10 minute drama about a young girl called Dee who sends a sexually explicit image to her boyfriend – only for him to unthinkingly pass it on to a friend. It follows the consequences of such an image being widely circulated in the community or spread online.

The film by The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Agency also deals with the idea of having a digital “footprint” and online reputation, as well as the legal implications of self-generated indecent images.

It can be downloaded for use by parents or teachers who wish to explore the issues raised with young people.