Today’s news review looks at NSPCC guidance on tackling sexting.
Sexting
On Tuesday, 16 August, the NSPCC published advice for parents on how to respond if they discover their child is sexting.
The story was covered in the Telegraph, in print in the Metro and the Express and widely in the regional media. It was also featured on Good Morning Britain.
The NSPCC’s advice comes after research which found half of parents knew that children could be breaking the law by sharing nude images of themselves. The charity said that sexting put children at risk of bullying or being targeted by sex offenders.
The charity’s advice is in line with upcoming guidance the government will be issuing for schools and colleges to use from September. This follows our Keeping Children Safe in Education consultation which ran earlier this year. The guidance will make clear that sexting should be considered as part of schools and colleges’ child protection policies.
Calls on parents to talk to their children about the dangers of sharing sexual photos are also echoed in new advice from the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) for schools. This contains guidance on responding to disclosures, handling devices and imagery and risk assessing situations surrounding sexting.
A Department for Education spokesperson said:
Everyone has a role to play in protecting children from the risks they might face either online or on their phones.
By working with parents, schools and network providers we can educate children on the risks of sexting.
This new advice will support the updated guidance that schools will be using from September to help talk about this issue with pupils and their parents.
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