Have you ever spoken to your child about sending nude photos?
Police are urging parents to consider having the chat with their children about the dangers of giving into peer pressure, after two girls suffered the consequences.
PC Sally Bains from West Yorkshire Police recently tweeted about an incident that was brought to her attention.
In a series of tweets she said: "Spoke to 2 teenage girls today about sending nude pics to boys.
"The boys have pressured them by telling them ‘everyone else does it’ and that if they didn’t they ‘would tell everyone they’re frigid’.
"Photos sent - boys have shown them to all their mates."
This is obviously a parent's worst nightmare to hear that their child is involved in such acts, but what can you do about it?
PC Bains continued: "What is really sad is the normality attached to 'sending nudes' and that asking for them is seen as completely normal amongst teens and that sending sexually explicit photos is also seen as a normal part of courtship/relationship."
She also reminded parents that even if the child knew exactly what they were doing in sending the photo, it is still illegal.
This is also a timely reminder of how important it is to communicate with your children in such a digital age.
The likes of Snapchat and Instagram are very easy to access for children as young as five, recent research shows.
Once a photo is out there, no matter how the person asked got it is completely illegal.
PC Bains wanted to remind parents that these photos will be investigated and the boys asking for them, or girls, will be spoken to by higher powers.
The NSPCC give this advice on 'sexting':
Outline your expectations and explain the rules of having a mobile, tablet or smartphone
Ask them what they feel is acceptable to send to people, if they’d be happy for you or a stranger or other children to see certain photos. If the answer is 'no', explain that the image, video or message is probably not appropriate to send
Make sure they're comfortable saying no, that they know their body is private and being asked to share explicit images is inappropriate
Explain to them about the importance of trust and consent in a healthy relationship. Tell them that it’s not ok for someone to make them feel uncomfortable, to pressure them into doing things that they don’t want to do, or to show them things that they’re unhappy about. Let them know that they can speak to you if this ever happens
Look at Childline’s advice about relationships and online safety together.
Are you open with your children? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.
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