SEXTING BOY OF 5 QUIZZED BY COPS

2,000% rise in kids’ explicit pics

A BOY of five is the youngest person ever to be investigated in Britain for sexting.

Police quizzed the boy and his parents after he took an intimate snap of himself on an iPad and sent it to another child.

The case in County Durham emerged as figures yesterday revealed the number of children taking explicit photos of themselves has soared by 2,116% in three years.

More than 4,000 youngsters, most aged 13 or 14, have been dealt with by police for sexting since 2013.

But police are concerned that ever-younger children are sexting.

The figures came from a Freedom of Information request to all 43 police forces, as part of a BBC inquiry,

Greater Manchester Police had the highest number of child sexters, with 695 cases reported.

They included four seven-year-olds and four eight-year-olds. And Northumbria Police cautioned a boy, aged 10, for sending a sexual image of himself to an 11-year-old.

Det Chief Insp Steve Thubron, of Durham Police, said: “Cases of sexting are dealt with on a case-bycase basis, with the focus always being on keeping children safe.

“We deal with incidents proportionately and obviously do not criminalise children.”

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said that while officers took a “common-sense approach”, sexting should not be seen as harmless.

He added: “There are significant risks involved for children. Once an image is sent, control is lost and it can cause significant distress when it gets into wider hands.”

Carolyn Bunting, of campaign group Internet Matters, urged parents to make children aware of the seriousness of sexting. She said: “A recent poll found more than half of teachers know of pupils using social media for sexting.

“The most effective way parents ca n tackle this issue is through education [and] frank conversations. “

She continued: “Many teens may see sexting as harmless, but it can have long-lasting effects on their self-esteem.

“Tell them about the T-shirt test – never send anything to anyone that you wouldn’t want printed on the front of your T-shirt.”

Six out of 10 teenagers have been asked to send explicit videos or pictures, a Childline poll has found.

Helen Westerman, of the NSPCC, said: “For some children it is voluntary, something they do for a risk or dare. Others have been coerced by friends, peers or partners.”

It is illegal to possess, take or distribute sexual images of someone under the age of 18, even of yourself. jeremy.armstrong@mirror.co.uk

4,000 children have been dealt with by police for sexting since 2013. They were most commonly aged 13-14