2,000 children reported to police for indecent images

More than 2,000 children were among those reported to police for indecent images offences over the last 3 years, according to recent figures.

As a result, the RSPCA is urging parents to talk to children about the risks of sexting and sharing nude selfies on social media as this may be partly fuelling the rise in offences by under-18s.

Earlier this year, the charity carried out research by conducting interviews with 32 parents and carers . This was followed by an online survey of 1000 parents and carers from across the UK.

All parents who took part were over the age of 18, lived in the UK, and had a child/children in their care aged 11 to 17 who had access to a smart phone, tablet, or computer. Participants were asked to focus on the creation and sharing of sexual videos and images, rather than the sending of sexual messages.

Key findings were:

73% of parents believe that sexting is always harmful.

39% of parents are concerned that their child may become involved in sexting in the future.

there is a lack of clarity regarding the law around sexting: half of parents are unaware that it is illegal for a child to take a naked or sexual image of themselves and 28% do not know that it is illegal for a child to send a naked or sexual image to a peer.

86% of parents would seek help if they found out that their child had sent a sexual image to another young person and it had been shared on the internet.

parents would be most likely to turn to the police, their child’s school, or the Centre for Exploitation and Online Protection if their child was involved in a sexting incident.

however, only 50% of parents are confident that they would be able to access the right support in this situation.

42% of parents have spoken to their child about sexting at least once, but 19% do not intend to ever have a conversation about it.

when talking about sexting, parents are least comfortable having conversations about the law around sexting and what could be done if an image of their child was shared. This is potentially because they lack knowledge on these issues.

83% of parents have never received information about sexting and 84% of parents have never looked for it. Despite this, 50% want to learn more about sexting and the most popular ways to do so are through their children’s school and online resources.

in particular, parents would most like to receive information about healthy relationships and the pressures that young people may face; as well as tips on how to start conversations about sexting.

The total number of offences reported to all 45 police forces across the UK has nearly tripled from 4,530 in 2013 rising to 10,818 in 2015.

Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC, said: "Over the last two decades, digital technology has fuelled an explosion in the production and consumption of child sexual abuse images that increasingly involves the streaming of live video.

"Committed leadership from government, and dedicated police operations have made a real difference. But the war on child abuse images is only just beginning. The internet industry must prioritise this issue by committing their expertise and work with the public and voluntary sector to find solutions.

"As well as pursuing and deterring adults who make and distribute these we must educate children about how to keep themselves safe online and offline and how to get help as soon as grooming or abuse happens. And every child who is the victim of exploitation and abuse should get the support they need to rebuild their lives."