Sexting – ‘indecent’ images which you take of yourself and send to someone else or post online – is worryingly prevalent amongst teens. Some statistics indicate that as many as 60% of our children have sent or received these images. We know that some of our students have been involved in sexting, and the fallout is often devastating for the child involved.

As a parent, it’s not always possible to see everything that your child sends to their friends or posts online, so it’s all the more important to keep talking to them about what they are doing online and keep those conversations frequent, open and supportive. The website www.thinkuknow.co.uk is a good source of advice. It offers this list of five reasons not to send that picture:

1. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Share a picture or video online or on your phone and you could lose control of it and who knows where it might end up?
2. Bullies go for it. You’ve probably heard stories of teenagers who have been badly bullied because of naked pictures online.
3. It’s against the law! If you’re under 18, it’s illegal to take or share an ‘indecent’ picture of yourself, or to look at or share someone else’s.
4. You could be blackmailed. If you send a picture you wouldn’t want other people to see then you could be in danger of being blackmailed.
5. Will they keep your pic private? Even if you really trust them, it would only take a moment for them to share it tonight, tomorrow or next year.

There’s a lot more information on e-safety on their website including what to do if your child has already sent a picture. Please take the time to look at it and keep talking. If you’d like to talk to someone in school, contact our Student Welfare Manager, Carolyn Haines on 01926 405745.