Yr 9 Parent Information Evening 17th September 2019 SEXTING Youth produced sexual imagery

AIMS To raise awareness of sexting To explore the legal aspects To advise parents on how best to talk to their children about sexting To share advice and guidance To highlight online safety at Grey Court

Think before you post Think before you post video

What is sexting? The act of sending sexually explicit messages, semi nude or nude photos or videos via mobile phone cameras and messaging features. They can be sent using mobiles, tablets, smartphones, laptops or any device that allows you to share media and messages.  Sexting may also be called:  trading nudes dirties pic for pic. NSPCC

Statistics- a rapidly growing issue 1 in 7 young people admit to having taken a sexual image of themselves. .. And over 50% went on to share the image online A 5 year old in County Durham is the youngest person in the UK to be investigated by Police NSPCC

Boy, 14, is 'branded a paedophile' by police for texting naked selfie to schoolgirl: Mother's fury as son is put on sex crime database for 100 years  4th September 2015

Why do young people sext? Peer pressure Technology available Perception that everyone is doing it Perceived boosting of self esteem For attention As a way of flirting Exploration of sexual identity fliThere are many reasons why a young person may want to send a naked or semi-naked picture, video or message to someone else. joining in because they think that ‘everyone is doing it’ boosting their self-esteem flirting with others and testing their sexual identity exploring their sexual feelings to get attention and connect with new people on social media they may find it difficult to say no if somebody asks them for an explicit image, especially if the person asking is persistent

The Law Making, possessing and distributing any imagery of someone under 18 which is ‘indecent’ is illegal. This includes imagery of yourself if you are under 18. It is an offence to possess, distribute, show and make indecent images of children. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 (England and Wales) defines a child, for the purposes of indecent images, as anyone under the age of 18. ‘Indecent’ is not defined in legislation. Sexting can be seen as harmless, but creating or sharing explicit images of a child is illegal, even if the person doing it is a child. A young person is breaking the law if they: take an explicit photo or video of themselves or a friend share an explicit image or video of a child, even if it’s shared between children of the same age possess, download or store an explicit image or video of a child, even if the child gave their permission for it to be created. However, as of January 2016 in England and Wales, if a young person is found creating or sharing images, the police can choose to record that a crime has been committed but that taking formal action isn't in the public interest. Crimes recorded this way are unlikely to appear on future records or checks, unless the young person has been involved in other similar activities which may indicate that they're a risk. Find out more about legislation on child abuse images.

The Law Actions that are illegal when carried out by a child: Taking explicit photos or videos of themselves or someone else Sharing such images with others, even if the recipients are the same age Possessing, storing or downloading explicit images of a child, even if the individual is aware of it This means that even though a young person has broken the law and the police could provide evidence that they have done so, the police can record that they chose not to take further action as it was not in the public interest. Schools are expected to deal with sexting incidents as ‘safeguarding issues.

The Law While it is illegal to have sexual relations with a person under the age of 16, there are laws to protect anyone up to 18-years-old from sexting. Outcome 21: police discretion Since January 2016, the police in England and Wales can record that a young person has been creating and sharing explicit images without taking formal action if this is in the public interest. This law makes it clear that sexual activity with a child under 13 is never acceptable, and that children of this age can never legally give consent to engage in sexual activity. This applies to children who have not yet reached their 13th birthday i.e. children who are aged 12 and under. Any situations involving children under 13 and youth produced sexual imagery must be taken seriously as potentially being indicative of a wider safeguarding or child protection concern or as being problematic sexual behaviour.

Risks No control over images and how they are shared blackmail, bullying and harm Unwanted attention Emotional distress Legality issues It's easy to send a photo or message but the sender has no control about how it's passed on. When images are stored or shared online they become public. Some people may think that images and videos only last a few seconds on social media and then they're deleted, but they can still be saved or copied by others. This means that photos or videos which a young person may have shared privately could still be end up being shared between adults they don't know.

The message is clear!

How to talk to your child about sexting Find a way to start the conversation Explain the risks Make it clear you will be supportive and understanding tell them what can happen when things go wrong. Don't accuse them of sexting, but do explain the dangers and legal issues you may find it easier to use real-life examples, such as television programmes or news stories, to help you explain the risks ask them if they’d want something private shown to the world. Talk about the Granny rule - would you want your Granny to see the image you’re sharing? talk about whether a person who asks for an image from you might also be asking other people for images if children are sending images to people they trust, they may not think there's much risk involved. Use examples of when friends or partners have had a falling-out and what might happen to the images if this happens.

How to protect your child from the risks of sexting Tell them that sexting is illegal and images can be difficult to remove once posted Give them clear expectations about how they use their mobile phones Don’t minimise sexting as a “prank” Have open discussions about who they talk to online Talk through their experience or what they've heard about sexting Try not to use labels like “promiscuous” when talking about sexting Reassure them that talking about sexting doesn’t mean they have to give up their phone/device NSPCC If your child has been sending explicit images or videos of themselves, you may feel shocked, upset, angry, confused or disappointed. They’re also likely to feel anxious about talking to you. Where possible, give yourself time to process the information and remember they’ll be watching your reactions.

Online safety at Grey Court is about teaching young people to be safe Computing curriculum Sex and relationships education PDW days Assemblies Tutor time Parent information evenings staff training

Links, advice and Resources Net aware Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) Childline CEOP NSPCC Thinkuknow Internetmatters.org The UK Safer Internet Centre tell them what can happen when things go wrong. Don't accuse them of sexting, but do explain the dangers and legal issues you may find it easier to use real-life examples, such as television programmes or news stories, to help you explain the risks ask them if they’d want something private shown to the world. Talk about the Granny rule - would you want your Granny to see the image you’re sharing? talk about whether a person who asks for an image from you might also be asking other people for images if children are sending images to people they trust, they may not think there's much risk involved. Use examples of when friends or partners have had a falling-out and what might happen to the images if this happens.