What is sexting?

Sexting is a term used for sending or receiving of sexual, naked or semi-naked images or videos which can be taken by a young person of themselves (selfie), or by others.

Examples include:

• naked pictures
• pictures of genitals
• sex acts including masturbation
• sexual pictures in underwear

Sexting can be done on anything that lets you share media or messages, including: smartphones, tablets, laptops or mobiles.

Children and young people may consent to sending a nude image of themselves. However, they can also be forced, tricked or coerced into sharing images by other young people or adults online.

What does the law say?

It is against the law to make, share, have or show any indecent images or videos of anyone aged under 18, even if you have their permission.

For example, it is against the law for you to:

• share a sexual image with your friend
• share a sexual image created by somebody else with your friend or an adult
• have a sexual image of someone under 18 in your possession

The police have to treat sexting by children as a crime, but from January 2016 the police can decide not to take legal action against a young person if it is not in the public interest to do this.

What can a school do about sexting?

Schools must have a child protection policy which covers sexting. Schools should look into any reports of sexting and speak to you and your parents to try to solve the problem.

The UK Council for Child Internet Safety has issued advice for schools on developing procedures for responding to sexting incidents which outlines the process in detail.

If you are feeling pressured or bullied in school about sexting, your school has to help. For more information on what a school should be doing see Bullying.

The school may contact the police and/or children’s services if you have been harmed or are at risk of harm. For more information, see Children’s services.

Schools can search pupils for electronic devices and search data on devices and delete any indecent images on there. For more information, see Can I be searched at school.

How can I get images or videos removed from the internet?

The Internet Watch Foundation can remove any child sexual images and videos from the internet. You can report any images here.