Think before you snap and text

Last month our Safer Schools sergeant updated you about the important work her and her team do in the schools to safeguard young people.

Tuesday, February 7, was Safer Internet Day and staying safe online advice for parents and children and the dangers of “sexting” as part of a week- long campaign to highlight child sexual exploitation.

With around 35 per cent of all child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences taking place online in the county, Cambridgeshire Constabulary aims to encourage young people to protect themselves by thinking before sharing explicit images online or via text

Around 64 per cent of online victims of CSE have shown their awareness of safety issues by refusing to engage in sexts and blocked or reported offenders, but there are still others who could be at risk of being groomed online.

Sexting may be seen as harmless but it’s important to remember that sharing or receiving an image of a person under 16 is illegal and can lead to serious consequences, including blackmail, bullying and harassment, which can have a long-lasting negative impact. It can also put young people at risk of CSE. For the majority the internet and social media is used to keep in contact with their friends and family. For others it ca an be a tool for sex offenders s to groom chi ildren from the eir homes, beh hind computer r screens by y creating fak ke identities an nd building re lationships to incite victim ms to send ex xplicit imag ges and vi deos. Sexting is a current issue which is growing rapidly with increasing numbers of online sharing and chat applications becoming available to young people.

A recent survey of 835 10 to 17-yearolds carried out by the Peterborough Safeguarding Children Board revealed that 31 per cent think sending an intimate photo is safe and 15 per cent still believe possessing, taking, showing and sending them is not a crime.

There is lots of support and advice available to young people and their parents or carers but one of the best ways to highlight the issues is by talking.

Explore sites and applications with your children and discuss what is appropriate for them based on their age.

Talk about staying safe and show them how to keep information private or block someone.