Norfolk parents urged to be aware as 'sending nudes' said to be commonplace in UK schools
Parents in Norfolk are being urged to get clued up on what their children are doing on their phones
Last updated 11th Sep 2023
Online safety campaigners are warning parents in Norfolk to get clued up on the types of images their children are sharing on their phones.
Stats show around four out of five girls in school or college have felt pressurised to share nude pictures of themselves online.
Online safety campaigners are warning this behaviour is becoming normalised in educational establishments
That's despite the fact sending or receiving these images is illegal.
Sending nudes is commonplace in schools and colleges
A report claims around 73% of images that are sent from one young person to another actually end up being passed around via apps like Whatsapp and Snapchat.
Some images are sent to an individual with consent, while others felt pressured to send images online.
Researchers heard some girls can receive up to 10 requests a night from boys in their school who are asking for images.
Around two in five boys have also felt pressured to take and send images.
Under UK law, the creation, owning and sharing of indecent images of children is illegal - which means any young person taking part in it is actually breaking the law.
Jess Chalmers is regularly invited into schools to discuss the issue of sending nudes.
She tells us its become a regular issue teachers are having to face: "It is illegal to make, distribute or possess any images of anyone under 18 even if the content was created with the consent of that person.
"I don't think many people necessarily know that."
Never ask, never send
Jess told Greatest Hits Radio the normalisation of sending nudes can have a lasting legacy on a young person: "It is what young people do, but they do it without thinking about the repercussions - things like their digital footprint, or just the fact that that images is going to be out there for the rest of their lives.
"You may think you're sending that image to your boyfriend, to your friend, but the numbers don't lie.
"If you're going to send a nude picture to somebody you've got to expect its going to be shared more widely without your knowledge."
Jess says although many images are sent outside of school time, the impacts are often felt in and around the classroom: "So the school are going to have to get involved in that - and that's wasting their precious teaching time."
Jess has a simple message she passes on to all young people: "The thing I always say to people is 'never ask, never send' because if they have that in the back of their mind, and the reasons why, they're on to a winner