Young people – online

What you share, text or upload on social networks or on the internet can affect your future, your family or your relationships – or someone else’s – for a very long time.

Sexting

Sexting is when someone sends or receives a sexually explicit text, image or video. This includes sending ‘nude pics’, ‘rude pics’ or ‘nude selfies. If someone is pressurising you to send them nude pics - this is a form of abuse, even if you're in a relationship with them.

find out more about the consequences of sexting

find out what to do if you feel pressured to send an explicit text

The facts about sharing explicit content

Sharing nude pics or videos posted online or on social networks of someone under the age of 18 is against the law.

It doesn't matter if:

someone else gave you permission
someone else sent it to you
you’ve never met them before
you are under 18 too
it’s a selfie.

Think before you share

You need to remember that what you share online can be seen by lots of people and might stay online forever.

Remember, always:

be safe
be respected for the right reasons
respect others too.

Worried about something that's been shared?

If you’re worried about something you’ve shared, or something that has been shared about you, tell an adult you trust so they can take action to stop the image or video being shared further.

You could also:

Further advice

Published on: 28/08/2019