What is sexting?
Sexting is the act of young people sending indecent images of themselves (and sometimes others) to a boy/girlfriend, friend or even to a stranger. The pictures are normally sent by phone or over the internet (e.g. on Facebook). Once the image is sent, the sender has no control over who receives the image, leaving young people vulnerable to having their image misused.
What are the dangers?
The advent of Snapchat and the ever-increasing popularity of Facebook expose young people to more and more new "friends". This can lead to false connections and false trust, misleading children into feeling like they are sending these images in a safe environment. Platforms like these can also result in duress to send images coupled with social pressure to "do as their friends do". Due to the widespread availability of smartphones, with cameras and internet access, images can quickly and easily be circulated on these social media platforms.
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