A boy as young as five has been investigated for sexting, according to freedom of information data gathered by the BBC. If you’re a parent, guardian or teacher, we’d like to know if you think enough is being done to tackle sexting among young people.
More than 4,000 children have been dealt with by police for sexting since 2013, with the majority involved mainly aged 13 or 14 years old.
Helen Westerman, NSPCC campaigns manager, said that while some children may give images voluntarily for a risk or a dare, others may be coerced into it in some way.
“They may have been put under pressure by friends, peers or partners ... Once the picture has been sent they can’t get it back and the consequences of that can be devastating for the young people involved,” she said.
Share your experiences
We want to hear from parents and teachers about your experiences of dealing with sexting. What is your school doing about it? Or what are you doing as a parent? Are you concerned about it rising in schools? Does your school have a policy in place? Should more be done? What platforms do children use to send explicit images?
if you’re a young person, we’d also like to hear from you. But please be aware that you have to be over 16 to submit a response. If you are under this age you need to get approval from a parent or guardian who will need to speak to us first.
- The form is encrypted and only the Guardian can see your responses. We feature some of your responses in our reporting. You can submit anonymously.
