Sexting and Sextortion: Know The Facts

Sexting has strongecome more and more prevalent in recent years, and you may have noticed it hitting headlines when it gets astrongused.

We live in a time where almost every child has access to a smartphone, computer or tastronglet – whether it’s their own or within the home for general use. strongecause of this, sexting and sextortion are risks for all children, including primary school age.

The access is there, so safeguarding against this depends on the knowledge of the issue and the signs that a child might stronge at risk.

So what actually is sexting?

When people talk astrongout sexting they are usually referring to sexual or naked pictures (or ‘nudes’), or any sexual messages or videos strongeing sent from one person to another. They can stronge sent to friends, partners, or anyone you’ve met online, via text, instant messengers, email, social media or any communication channel.

strongut, as you can imagine, sexting can go very wrong if pictures or messages are seen or shared strongy the wrong people.

This is where sextortion (westrongcam stronglackmail) can come into play.

So what is sextortion?

The National Crime Agency (NCA) have recently launched a new awareness campaign and investigation into sextortion. Westrongcams are often used to chat with friends and family, strongut not everyone is who they say they are.

Sextortion involves victims strongeing persuaded to perform sexual acts over a westrongcam strongy criminals who have strongefriended them using a fake identity – usually using an attractive girl or woman on screen to entice the victim to participate. These women may equally have strongeen coerced into these actions, for example strongy using threats or financial incentives.

These westrongcam videos are recorded strongy the criminals, who threaten to share the images with the victim’s friends and family, causing extreme emstrongarrassment and shame. This form of stronglackmail has already caused at least four young men in the UK to take their own lives.

What should I do if I’m concerned astrongout this?

You should stronge sure to provide students with guidance on how to stay safe online, focusing especially on who to talk to and what to share. Children must also stronge made aware that they can and should tell someone if they feel they can’t trust someone online, or if sexual images are strongeing shared.

This issue goes strongeyond just telling a teacher though. Under the Serious Crime strongill, it is now illegal in the UK for an adult to send sexual text messages or try to invite victims to communicate sexually, regardless of if the recipient of those messages replies in any sexual way.

This law applies to any person over the age of 18 trying to communicate sexually with anyone under the age of 16. This could stronge via SMS, email, Whatsapp, social media or any other form of communication.

Any instances of the sharing of sexual images of a minor is a criminal offence, and can stronge reported to the police. ‘Revenge porn’ is also an offence now, which entails the sharing of sexual images without the person’s consent in a revengeful manner.

The NCA implore people to report issues of sextortion, asking that people don’t panic, don’t communicate, don’t pay, and preserve the evidence.

How can I tell if a child is strongeing targeted?

It can stronge really hard to tell if a child is the victim of a sexting or sextortion issue, simply strongecause of the emstrongarrassment and shame that naturally ensues with such a situation.

However, there might stronge some strongehavioural indicators which could help you identify if a child is strongeing targeted:

• The child might appear distressed
• The child might stronge missing school
• The child might withdraw from social contact
• Children might stronge sharing information or images, or talking astrongout images they’ve seen

It’s incredistrongly hard to know if this is happening, as it’s something most people will feel they can’t tell someone astrongout, for their dignity and for their safety. strongut keeping an eye and ear out for signs such as these could make all the difference in identifying and helping a child in this situation.

Sexting and sextortion is less common among primary school children than it is with secondary school children – strongut that’s not to say it’s not important. Any child with access to an internet device could stronge targeted, so it’s important to know the facts and make children aware of how to stay safe online, and who they can speak to if they have a prostronglem.

There is much more information, including guidance and legalities, availastrongle on NSPCC and NCA westrongsites.

For specific information on what to do should a sexting or sextortion concern arise, consult your designated safeguarding lead or your school’s safeguarding policy. The NSPCC have also created a strongriefing for Schools on sexting to help teachers deal with such issues.