Shropshire Star

Children as young as SEVEN questioned by police over 'sexting'

Almost 500 children have been questioned by police in the region for sharing indecent images - or sexting - in the last three years.

Published

West Mercia Police said 480 children aged between seven and 17 have been questioned by officers between 2014 and 2017.

The force said six children aged between 12 and 17 have been placed on the sex offender's register.

According to figures released under a Freedom of Information request made to West Mercia Police, one 15-year-old was referred to police for attempting to distribute an indecent photograph of a child.

Between 2014 and 2017, 104 14-year-olds were referred to police for distributing an indecent photograph of a child, and 100 13-year-olds.

One seven-year-old was spoken to by police for distributing an indecent photograph of a child in 2015-2016, one eight-year-old in 2014-2015 ad 161 children aged between 15 and 17 between 2014 and 2017.

Two children aged between 12 and 14 were referred to police for inciting the distribution of indecent photographs of children.

For the charge of making indecent photographs or pseudo photographs of a child, 28 children aged between eight and 17 were referred to the police.

Eight children aged between 11 and 17 were spoken to for taking an indecent photograph of a child.

There appears to be a spike in the figures at the age of 13 and 14, which is probably due to the young person's emerging curiosity with their sexuality.

An NSPCC spokesman said: “While it is very worrying that so many children are sharing explicit images of themselves and of each other we should understand that many of them treat this activity as part of everyday life.

“It might be difficult for parents to accept that their child could be pressured into ‘sexting’ – sending sexual images of themselves – but we know from calls to Childline that it does happen and it can cause them to feel depressed, self-harm, and even have suicidal thoughts. Childline provided 1,392 counselling sessions about sexting during 2015/16.

“Once a child sends an image, they lose control of it and this can lead to them being bullied or blackmailed. The image might even find its way into the hands of paedophiles or appear on paedophile websites.

“It’s vital that parents take the first step – even if it feels awkward – to talk to their child about sexting, and the dangers it can bring.

“The NSPCC’s website has lots of advice for parents on having these conversations, and children can talk to Childline on 0800 1111 about any worries they have.”

The NSPCC has also teamed up with O2 to help parents keep their children safe online.

Parents can contact the O2 NSPCC online safety helpline on 0808 800 5002 to get advice on privacy settings or removing indecent images of their children from mobiles and other devices.

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