Video: West Mercia Police campaign about dangers of sexting

Over the past two years, West Mercia Police has investigated 60 youngsters for sending or sharing explicit images of children, with 27 cases in Shropshire. However, Detective Chief Inspector Sean Paley says this figure is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Today, the force launches a campaign to make youngsters and parents more aware of the dangers, warning that pictures can easily end up in the wrong hands, and can even end up with youngsters finding themselves on the sex offenders' register. Over the coming weeks, officers will tour schools around the county talking about the problem, and a "cyber van" will visit different locations inviting youngsters to come in and chat.

"There is a trend among young people to take indecent photographs of themselves, and sometimes even of friends, to send each other or post in public places," he says. "This could be on the internet, such as on social media sites, or by sending the photos to each other on mobile phones."

It is very much a problem of the modern age, and something which many parents will find difficult to grasp. But, with practically every teenager having a mobile phone these days, it is something that is very difficult to control.

Should parents think about whether their children are old enough to have a phone of their own? Or should they at least restrict them to a simple device which would not allow them to share pictures?

"It is a good question," says Mr Paley.

"Many parents give their children phones for personal safety. It is an interesting idea introducing them incrementally, perhaps giving them a phone that doesn't have the internet to begin with, but peer pressure is a very powerful thing at that age. If every other child has a phone with the internet, it is hard for them to resist."

Mr Paley says while the police have an important role in enforcing the law, the real answer lies in educating both children and parents.

He says while youngsters tend not to recognise the dangers of their actions, the consequences can be far-reaching. At the lower end of the scale, there is the simple embarrassment of the pictures being redistributed without their consent. But there is also the more serious risk of them falling into the hands of predatory paedophiles, who could potentially target the children for "grooming".

And the youngsters themselves can also find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Both possessing and distributing indecent images of children are criminal offences, carrying up to 10 years in jail, while the sentences can be even lengthier for inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Mr Paley says most of the 60 cases the force has dealt with over the past two years relate to pictures being passed around to others, be it by text messaging, email or social media.

"Youngsters might think they are sharing the image with a friend, but it can spiral out of control," he says.

"These images can be passed around, they can be posted on social media, and they can fall into the wrong hands.

"You can send a picture to somebody on an app, and they can keep that picture for a long time, they can copy that picture, they can do a screenshot, and they can send it somewhere else. That is the problem."

He says parents have a huge role to play in not only making youngsters aware of the risks, but in giving children the confidence to talk about their worries.

"If parents can talk to their children, asking them 'what would you do if somebody asked you that', they are more likely to open up."

Mr Paley says the website www.getsafeonline.org offers excellent tips for parents about ensuring the safety of youngsters.

"We do not want to alarm children, or their parents, but we do want them to be aware of the risks associated with 'sexting'. Protecting children from harm is a key priority for the police, and we would like victims of all ages to have the confidence to come forward and report crimes."

And Mr Paley's message to children is simple.

"If you would not want to put it on a lamp post, don't put it online," he says. "Once it is out there, you lose control, and you can't get it back."