If you have children under the age of 18 who have mobile devices , make yourself aware of the issues and concerns around' SEXTING.'  Speak to your children and make sure they are safe online - a few minutes now could make all the difference later. 

What is Sexting ? 

Sexting is when someone shares sexual, naked or semi naked images or videos of themselves or others, or sends sexually-explicit messages. They can be sent by mobiles, tablets, smartphones, laptops etc – any device that allows you to share 

 media and messages. 

Sexting may also be called ‘trading nudes’, ‘dirties’ or ‘pic for pic’. The creating or sharing of explicit images of a child is illegal, even if the person doing it is a child.

It's illegal for anyone to have, share or make sexual images or videos of people under 18.

This includes personal images or videos made by under 18s and shared with each other .

BUT :  it's not always in the public interest to prosecute in these cases. We'll decide whether to take action depending on things like evidence of exploitation or grooming.

                                                                     REPORT REMOVE

Young people under 18 can report sexual images and videos of themselves and get them removed from the internet. This won't affect any police investigations. The service is run by Childline.

                                                      HOW REPORT REMOVE WORKS - CHILDLINE

‘Report Remove’ is here to help young people under 18 in the UK to confidentially report sexual images and videos of themselves and remove them from the internet.

Having your nudes shared can feel scary, and it can leave you feeling worried or even ashamed. But it’s not your fault. 

It’s against the law for anyone to share a sexual image or video of someone who’s under 18, and we’re working with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Yoti to help you remove any sexual image or video of you that’s online. 

Report Remove is safe, easy and free – all you need to do is follow these steps: 

choose your age range and create a Childline account so we can send you updates on your report;

report your image or video to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF);

check your Childline locker a few days after your report to see if you need to add any more information and to see updates on your report. report any issues with this process by sending an email from your Childline locker with the subject 'Report Remove' and as much information about the problem as you can.

You can talk to a Childline counsellor if you want any extra support, or access support on the Childline website. Call Childline 0800 1111.