The document discusses issues related to sexting among young people in schools, including definitions of sexting, reasons why young people engage in it, legal issues, prevalence rates, and guidance for how schools should address sexting incidents and educate students on the topic through measures such as curriculum and teaching resources. It also provides two case studies as examples of sexting situations schools may encounter and how parents can discuss sexting.

1. Sexting and schools
Kathy Olsson
E2BN

2. Definition of safeguarding –
Safeguarding action may be needed to protect children and learners
from:
• sexual abuse
• emotional abuse
• bullying, including online bullying and prejudice-based bullying
• racist, disability and homophobic or transphobic abuse
• radicalisation and/or extremist behaviour
• child sexual exploitation and trafficking
• the impact of new technologies on sexual behaviour, for example sexting
• teenage relationship abuse

3. Digital Literacy
Sexting
Grooming
Gaming
Reputation
Online
Bullying
Identity theft &
Privacy
Radicalization
Harmful content
Pornography
Data security

4. What is Sexting?
There’s no official definition
• writing and sharing explicit messages with people they know’
• sending or posting sexually suggestive images, including nude or
semi-nude photographs, via mobiles or over the Internet
What do you think?

5. Why Sext?
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/Nude-selfies-a-parents-guide/

6. What Do Young People Think?
Harmless?
Fun?
Sexy?
Exciting?
Everyone’s doing it?

7. Times Change, Children Don’t
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNSXxf-luKM

8. But it’s illegal!
• It is an offence to possess, distribute, show and make indecent
images of children.
• The Sexual Offences Act 2003 (England and Wales) defines a child, for
the purposes of indecent images, as anyone under the age of 18.

9. Sexting –An Epidemic?

10. Most Young People don’t Sext
• 13% girls taken a topless image
• 3% young people a naked image
Of these …
• 55% shared the image & 31% of these shared with a stranger
• Sexting is most prevalent amongst 13 – 16 year olds

11. Sexting and Schools
• Safeguarding issue
• When to call the police
• Collecting and assessing evidence
• Your role

12. Guidance For Schools
Sexting in schools and colleges: responding
to incidents and safeguarding young
people

13. Case study 1
Two children, both aged 15, were in a relationship for the past month.
The boy asked the girl for “sexy” pictures and she sent him a single
topless photo. Afterwards the girl was worried that he might share the
photo so she shared her concerns with her friends. Her friends then
told their form tutor who spoke with the school DSL.

14. Case Study 2
A class teacher found a naked photo of a child (boy, aged 11) on a
school tablet. The child said that he had been using the tablet with two
other children during lunchtime and they dared him to take a picture of
his bottom.

15. Sexting – teaching & Learning
• PSHE & Computing
• An emotionally safe classroom environment
• School needs to consider:
• What specific learning is provided in the curriculum about youth produced
sexual imagery?
• What specific learning is provided to ensure children and young people have
the strategies and skills required to manage

16. Teaching Resources - Sexting - PSHE

17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sch_WMjd6gohttps://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-
safe/share-aware/

18. Sexting - Parents
I Saw Alex’s Willy - NSPCC