Information for children regarding concerns around online activity or behaviour
You have probably been given this leaflet due to police contact regarding your online activity. This may be you viewing or sending nude or sexual images or videos of other children, of sharing these type of images or videos of yourself with others or uploading them to social media, or you may have been targeted or abused by someone online who have threatened you to send images to them.
If you do view sexual images or videos of anyone under 18, or share images or videos of yourself to others, then you will be committing criminal offences which may be why the police have contacted you. If it is your first time of doing this and the police have no other concerns then it is unlikely anything further will happen, but you should know of the risks of doing this.
You may send images of yourself to someone you trust but often these images can end up in the hands of others you know or strangers online and they might get shared or posted elsewhere. Sometimes you may think you are talking to another child online or someone you think you can trust, but they are not who they say they are.
It may be that you have sent an image to someone who is now threatening you to send more or they will share them with your friends and family, or they may be asking for money to stop them doing this.
If you have any concerns about what is happening online or if anything else has happened to you then speak to your parent or carer, or a trusted adult (eg a teacher or family friend) who can help and support you. The police can also support you but the police understand if you don’t want to report anything to them, or may not wish to just yet.
If you feel like you cannot tell anyone what is going on, then the below websites can help you to get advice and guidance about what to do next, how to speak to someone in confidence and how to stay safe online.
Thinkuknow offers a lot of advice and support for children regarding online use as well as reporting any abuse to the Child Exploitation and Online Protecting Centre (CEOP) www.thinkuknow.co.uk
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) identifies and removes global online child sexual abuse imagery. If you know that an image of you is online, you can report this to the IWF in conjunction with Childline who will try and remove this material. www.iwf.org.uk/report
Shore Space offers confidential support and advice if you have shared sexual images of yourself, received these images from others, think you have been groomed or are worried about someone else’s behaviour or safety online. They offer a live chat and e-mail facility. Visit www.shorespace.org.uk
Childline provide advice and guidance to children about different issues, including online use. Call 0800 1111 or visit www.childline.org.uk
Childnet gives helpful information and guidance on online safety topics to children, adults and carers www.childnet.com
The UK Safer Internet Centre helps children and young people stay safe online with guidance and advice including reporting concerns Children and young people - UK Safer Internet Centre
YoungMinds provides free and confidential advice for children and young people suffering with their mental health. Text YM to 85258 or visit www.youngminds.org.uk
Internetslang.com assists with interpreting online slang words and abbreviations www.internetslang.com
If you are concerned about what you want to see online
As above if you have accessed sexual material of other children of a similar age to you then it is unlikely any further action will take place. However if you persist in doing this, or are looking at much younger children or other illegal content online and have concerns about what you are doing then there is help available.
We would encourage you to speak to your parent or carer, or a trusted adult (eg a teacher or family friend) who will be told about agencies that can support you. However if you feel like you cannot speak to anyone about that yet, then you can speak to other agencies below in confidence
Shore Space offers confidential support and advice if you have concerns regarding what you have viewed online or if you think you may have harmed someone. They offer a live chat and e-mail facility. Visit www.shorespace.org.uk
Childline provide advice and guidance to children about different issues, including online use. Call 0800 1111 or visit www.childline.org.uk
YoungMinds provides free and confidential advice for children and young people suffering with their mental health. Text YM to 85258 or visit www.youngminds.org.uk