The impact of sexting

Is sexting legal?

The law is quite clear on sexting and police and the criminal justice system are taking sexting more serious than ever in a bid to try and minimise young people exploiting themselves in this way.

It is illegal to take, possess or share 'indecent images’ of anyone under 18 even if you're the person in the picture. If you are under the age of 18, the law sees you as a child. Therefore, if you have any indecent images or videos of somebody who is under 18 you would technically be in possession of an indecent image of a child – even if you are the same age. This is an offence under the Protection of Children Act 1978 and the Criminal Justice Act 1988.

What can I do if I think my teen is involved in sexting?

Your teen might not be the one sending sexual content to others through sexting, but they might be on the receiving end. Sometimes, images are sent round in group messages to everyone on a contact list so they may not have had any idea that they were going to be sent this.  On the other hand, they may have asked someone to send them this picture or felt under pressure to send an image of themselves.

It is important to open up the channels of communication and be able to discuss this openly so they are aware of the implications. Why not start by having a chat about sexting being featured on the news and see what their thoughts are on it? Make your teen aware of the fact that if they are sending any personal information/images across, that they are passing over control to whoever the recipient is. Once that message has been sent, there is no way of retrieving it. As a parent you might never really know whether your teen has been involved in sexting, but by being able to talk things through with your teen you will have made them aware of the dangers they could possibly face.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre say that some of the material being circulated can find its way onto forums being used by child sex offenders. Young people have been blackmailed with their own pictures and paedophiles have also been found to pose as the person in the picture to trap other victims. Images most commonly being shared include boys exposing themselves or masturbating, girls that have removed items of clothing as well as sexual acts that could be considered as pornographic material.

Consequences of sexting

There are many consequences of sexting and often when the image is originally sent it may be that the two people may have trust and set an agreement in place, however, this friendship or relationship may not always be harmonious, and this is when images like these are not respected and can be posted as revenge or shown around carelessly to anyone else.

Once someone hits send, they have ultimately lost control of that picture and where it may end up. They might also forget about it and then it may resurface in the future, this has known to happen. Each action online leaves a digital footprint and everything anyone does online is out there in cyberspace even if you think something has been deleted.

Young people may not always realise how many people may see the online image, such as potential employers and universities. It is said that over 90% of employers google prospective applicants and there are widely publicised cases where a person has either lost a job or who has not been successful based on their online activities or inappropriate images.

Police have warned of the dangers sexting can have including loss of control and leaving young adults at the risk of being exploited by paedophiles and sexual predators. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre say that some of the material being circulated can find its way onto forums being used by child sex offenders. Young people have been blackmailed with their own pictures and paedophiles have also been found to pose as the person in the picture to trap other victims. Images most commonly being shared include boys exposing themselves or masturbating, girls that have removed items of clothing as well as sexual acts that could be considered as pornographic material. 70% of 11-18 year olds that were surveyed, were found to have known the sender of the sexually explicit message personally. 23% of messages were found to have come from a current partner, 45% from friends and 2% from adults.

Encouraging your teen to say no

It is important to speak your young person and get them to understand why it is empowering to actually say no if they were asked to send a sexting image. You could ask your teen what they feel would happen if they said no to sending a sexting image of themselves. What do they feel would be the consequences such as rumours spread that they are frigid, the person will finish with them, etc. and whether this would be more devastating than the consequences if they were to send the picture. You can ask your teen what other ways they can show they care without sexting. This will help them to think of the bigger picture, their future and how to protect themselves.