What is Sexting?

Sexting is when someone shares an intimate photo of themselves with another person via text, BBM, IM or social networking sites like Facebook, Flickr or Twitter etc. if this has happened to you try not to panic. There are steps you can take to minimise the effect of your mistake.

You can take control of the situation yourself by doing the following:

If you have posted the image on to a social networking site like facebook, then you should remove it immediately.

If you have sent an image to someone else you need to ask them to delete it.

If the image has been posted by someone else on a social networking site, like facebook, then you should report it. Each social networking site will have its own reporting tool. If you're unsure, ask an adult to help you. Use the reporting tool to tell the site what has happened, as it breaks their own terms and conditions and they will remove it.

You will need to find out if the image is available elsewhere online. You can do this by searching for your name and username and placing your name in inverted commas: "

It is a good idea to repeat the search regularly over a few weeks.

It may be impossible to delete everything online but you will feel more in control if you know what you will say to people about it:

I've made a mistake
I've learnt from my mistake
Always turn to a trusted adult for support and your close friends will be there to help you through this.

If someone is forcing you to send an inappropriate image of yourself you should report them to the Police by calling 101.

You can call also call Childline free on 0800 1111 and this number won’t appear on a telephone bill. Available 24 hours a day.

To make an online report click on the following link and follow the instructions: www.ceop.police.uk/ceop-report/