Sexting - New craze...
New figures show that more and more children,some as young as six fall victim to the sexting craze.
This craze of sexting - sending sexually explicit messages - is an epidemic sweeping our schools leaving children open to bullying and blackmail, or worse...........
Some young people think it's hilarious to show their private parts via texting, some do it because they think everybody else is doing it. Others do it because they think it will just stay between themselves and the person they sent it too. Nobody thinks they are breaking the law or leaving themselves in grave danger.
If your reading this now ..... then you must have some concerns or know someone who needs guidance and support. Have a look at the other pages here on SHARP, especially the facebook info.....
Young people need to understand that sharing sexual messages and photographs will make them vunerable.
If you suspect your child is a victim of sexting ....try and keep calm.
Explain to your child how sexting poses a risk to them.
If you are worried that they have been affected by sexting, question them gently, expressing your concern. Be prepared to listen calmly to their story.
DO NOT attempt to tackle the perpetrators directly. Instead, you can report the situation to the school, sharp, police or the NSPCC.
Seek emotional support or treatment for you and your child to minimise the impact of the experience. Please advise school too.
Safer Schools Partnership; Tel 01606 364565
Try the NSPCC help line on 0808 800 5000 ; www.nspcc.org.uk,
or
Kidscape help line on 08451 205204 ; www.kidscape.org.uk