So if someone takes sexual photographs or video of you, they are breaking the law – even if they are your partner. It’s illegal for anyone to make or possess indecent or sexual images of someone under the age of 18. If not, you may want to think about reporting this to the police.Įven if you are in a long-term relationship, it’s important that you understand the risks involved in sexting, both legally and emotionally. These are regarded as serious crimes, and letting your former partner know that they could face a prison sentence may be enough to get them to take down the pictures. So even keeping such images on a computer or phone counts as ‘possession’, and texting them or posting them online count as ‘distribution’. If you were under 18 when the pictures or video were taken then the law may regard them as ‘indecent images of a child’, which are illegal to make, possess or distribute. You can also report the image or video immediately to the website in question, and untag yourself in any photos so they’re not connected to you. You or they can contact the person who posted the material and demand they take it down. Talk to an adult you can trust, they can help you to work out what to do next. This can be a very upsetting situation, but posting sexual pictures of anyone under the age of 18 online is against the law, and there are things you can do to make sure the pictures are taken down. You could be blackmailed: if you send a picture you wouldn’t want other people to see, someone could threaten to show everyone else unless you give them what they want. It’s against the law: if you’re under 18, it’s illegal to take or share an ‘indecent’ picture of yourself, or to look at or share someone else’s… if it’s naked, a topless girl, or contains genitals or sex acts, it will be ‘indecent’.
Once it’s gone, it’s gone: if someone sends it further, deliberately or even by accident, who knows where it might end up? What if your mum, dad, school friends or teacher saw it?īullies go for it: you may have heard stories of teenagers who have been badly bullied because of naked pictures online. If you’re being bullied because of an image, you can get help. So, with thanks again to Thinkuknow, here’s a few reasons why you shouldn’t send that selfie: And there’s no guarantee it will stay private. But it’s a picture of you, naked or with very few clothes on, which you are thinking about taking and sharing privately. If you’re not, are you really ready to share sexy pictures?ĭoes it pass the ‘billboard test’? Would you put it on a billboard? Would you share it with your dad, mum, nan or teacher? If not, don’t share it online. Would I do it face to face? If you’re in a relationship you might not feel ready to start having sex. What if I don’t do it? Think about the consequences of not sending the picture – are they worse than what could happen if you do send it? Do you think the other person will think less of you? If so, then do they really care about you? Why am I doing it? Are there other, less permanent ways of showing your boyfriend or girlfriend that you care? Do you feel under pressure to send one?Īre you doing it for you or for them? Someone who really cares about you won’t put you under pressure. If you’re still thinking of taking a naked or sexual selfie and sending it to someone, Thinkuknow (the website aimed at making sure young people can have fun and still stay safe online) has put together some questions you should ask yourself first. Remember, pictures you take and send privately may become public and permanent – and the police may even get involved. Even someone you like or trust could send it on to their friends, or save it somewhere online. Once you send a photo or an image to someone you lose control of where it goes next. Imagine how you would feel if a lot of people – both those you know, and those you don’t – saw a naked picture of you. But sexting – creating or sharing sexual images or videos of a child or young person under 18 – is actually illegal.īy sending explicit images, according to the law you are producing and distributing indecent images of children – which means you could be prosecuted for it, even if you have given your permission for this to happen and know the person you are sending it to. It might also feel like all your friends are sexting, or that if you’re only sharing sexy pictures with your boyfriend or girlfriend it’s okay. It seems like everyone is taking selfies.
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