For many post-secondary students, going back to school also means the start of Frosh Week activities, heading to parties and reveling in the freedom of living on their own. For some, this can also lead to excessive drinking and, as a result, blurred judgement.

Dr. Oren Amitay, a registered psychologist and lecturer at Ryerson University, says students, particularly girls with low-self esteem, are at risk of putting themselves in compromising and sometimes dangerous situations.

In his work with students and privately with clients, Amitay has heard countless stories about females winding up in situations they’re uncomfortable with, from having too much to drink and being taken advantage of, to offering regrettable sexual favours, and even being pressured into having sex after they’ve already said no.

“I’ve seen too many women get in trouble because they don’t know what they’re getting into,” says Amitay. “The No. 1 is sexual assault.”

While Amitay points to many factors that can negatively influence young women, including the pervasiveness of sexual images in the media, undesirable role models, peer pressure, a need for attention and, often, alcohol intake, he says the roots of healthy self-esteem must begin at home, long before the university years begin. “Kids are impressionable,” he says.

“They can’t filter out fact from fiction, and they’ll take everything as fact. Parents are allowing their children to be exposed to themes that are way above them. (Kids are) holding Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan as role models.”

As any follower of celebrity pop culture knows, both stars are more famous for their sexual controversy — such as Hilton's leaked sex tape and Lohan's habit of wearing shorts skirts without any gitch — than they are for talent or brains.

“Feminism is the new 
F word,” Amitay suggests.

“It’s sad to think how far it’s gone. The greatest scam ever produced was convincing women that degrading themselves is empowering.”

Amitay urges parents to step up to the plate and start teaching their children the power of empathy and integrity early on. “Somewhere in the last 20 years, parents started thinking that being your child’s friend and being cool is good for them and it’s not.”

Party Smarts

•  Don’t accept drinks from anyone you don’t know and trust
•  Always let a friend know your whereabouts
•  Until you’ve had time to build trust, avoid secluded places with a new partner
•  Follow your instincts. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, remove yourself from the situation
•  Studies have found that 75% of date rapists and 55% of victims had been drinking or using drugs prior to the incident
•  Date rapists are often acquaintances or friends of the victim
•  At least one in three women will be sexually assaulted at some point in her life

(Kids Health, 2006)

Safer Sex

•  Discuss contraception options with your partner and choose the right one for you
•  Know your partner’s sexual history and be honest about your own
•  Reveal any occurrence of STIs to your partner
•  In Canada, the highest rates of STI’s are among those between the ages of 15 and 24.

What's the deal with Sexting?

Sexting, as the name implies, involves sending a provocative image to someone via cellphone.

A UK study by the charity Beatbully found that 38% of those 18 and under have received offensive or distressing images by e-mail or text.

Avner Levin, a Ryerson University professor and Director of the Privacy and Cyber Crime Institute, says that sexting may not be as popular as we’ve been led to believe, but notes there are still valid concerns surrounding the hype.

“We hear a lot about sexting because we hear a lot about online social media and a lot about sex, so their combination into one story is pretty much irresistible,” says Levin.

“I do think it’s more about what people want to read and see in the news than what is actually happening.”

The risks, however, are very real.

Last year in Ohio, a teenage girl hung herself after a naked image she’d ‘sexted’ her boyfriend was sent around the school when the pair broke up.

“As with all personal information, and even more so with sexting, young people should expect that the message or photo will not remain network-private,” Levin warns.

“It will end up in the hands of an individual that they did not wish to have it, or simply on the Internet and available to everyone. The test is simple — if the photo or message has the potential to embarrass them, then they should not send it, even to an individual that they hold in great trust.”