HALF of NE parents don't know child nude selfies are illegal
Half of parents in the North East don't know it is illegal for a child to take nude selfies.
Half of parents in the North East do not know it is ILLEGAL for a child to take a nude selfie.
The NSPCC have today revealed that while two out of five mums and dads fear their children will be involved in sexting - most haven’t spoken to them about the risks.
Almost all of 1000 parents interviewed by the charity said they saw sexting as harmful – with a quarter saying their main concern was about their child losing control of the image.
In the last year the numbers of children counselled by Childline about sexting have risen 15% to almost 1,400 – around four a day.
With children increasingly worried about sexting the NSPCC is urging all parents to get its latest advice so they will know what to do if their child has shared an explicit image of themselves or other young people.
Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said:
“Sharing nude selfies can put young people at risk of bullying by peers or being targeted by adult sex offenders, so it's vital that parents talk to their children and that young people feel empowered to say no to sexting requests.
“We realise that talking about sexting can be an embarrassing or awkward conversation for both parents and children. And although most parents said they would seek help if an indecent image of their child had been shared on the internet, half of them weren’t confident about getting the right support.
“The NSPCC has created a new guide for parents to help them talk to their children about the risks of sexting, what the law says, and what to do if their child has shared a nude image that is being circulated online or among their peers.”
The NSPCC helpline regularly hears from parents across our region, worried about their children getting involved in sexting.
One mum said: “I’ve just found out my daughter has been sent some nude selfies on this instant messaging app. She had been speaking to these people and they started sending her inappropriate images and asked her to send them things.”
A dad had concerns about his son who had been exchanging sexual images with a girl he knew.
“I caught him a few months ago doing it and I did my utmost to make sure that he understood the consequences of this behaviour but despite this, I think he is still exchanging pictures with this girl.”
The following advice has been issued for parents who discover their child has been sharing sexual images of themselves.
They should:
· stay calm and try not to get angry with the young person.
· ask who the image has been sent to and where it has been shared.
· encourage them to delete images from their phone or own social media accounts.
· contact the site hosting the images of their child if they have been posted by someone else.
· suggest their child contacts Childline, who can work with the Internet Watch Foundation to try and get images removed if they’ve been shared more widely.
· discuss issues of consent and trust in healthy relationships or friendships.
A new partnership between the NSPCC & O2 has been set up with advice for parents on talking to their children about sexting, and getting images removed from circulation, as well as other issues at www.nspcc.org.uk/sexting
Children and young people can contact Childline free, 24 hours a day on 0800 1111 or get help at www.childline.org.uk.