SCHOOLCHILDREN have been warned they could end up in court if they send explicit pictures of themselves via text messages and social media.
Nottinghamshire Police is sending letters to all schools in the city and county, saying it has "grave concerns" about "sexting".
It has asked the schools to pass on the letter to parents in the hope they can tell their children how serious sharing photos of themselves can be.
In one case, a girl sent an explicit photo to her boyfriend. After an argument, the boy sent the picture to his friends.
The girl and the boy were both committing an offence of distributing an indecent image of a child as they were under 18.
In another case, a boy took an intimate picture and sent it to friends as a joke.
In both cases the children were given a police caution, but Detective Sergeant Jan Rusdale said youngsters should be warned they could face having a criminal record and being placed on the sex offenders' register.
"They could end up on the register for a couple of years," she said. "When they come to getting a job this would then count against them.
"We just want to get the message out there that this is a very serious offence. We need parents and children to realise this."
The letter tells schools and parents that any child aged ten or over can be found guilty of the offence and that images will remain on the internet once they are uploaded.
Sexting means people sharing indecent images via a mobile phone or uploading them on a social networking site.
The administrators of these sites refer matters to police if an image shows someone under 18 because an offence may have been committed.
Students are taught about the dangers of sexting in school.
Sean Kelly, head of Top Valley Academy, said: "It is a big issue. We target it in a number of ways, including through sex education programmes and in our ICT curriculum.
"We try to make students realise the danger they put themselves in if they engage in this kind of activity and the problems that it can bring for them."
Mike McKeever, head teacher at Trinity School in Aspley, said they educate children on the issue from Year 7.
He said: "It is not an issue here but we make sure that children are aware of it. We also bring parents in for internet safety sessions so they know what they should be looking out for."
Nottinghamshire County Council anti-bullying co-ordinator Lorna Naylor said: "Most young people do not see sexting as a problem and are reluctant to talk to adults about it because they're afraid of being judged or having their phones taken away.
"It may feel awkward but, as a parent, it's important to explain to your child the risks of sexting, how to stay safe and that they can talk to you if something ever makes them feel scared or uncomfortable."
Nationally, children's charity ChildLine, which is part of the NSPCC, received one call a day on average mentioning sexting in 2012-13.
Gaynor Birnie, ChildLine service manager at the East Midlands base in Nottingham, said: "The sharing of self-generated sexually explicit images or videos by mobile phone or online is now commonplace amongst young people to the point that it is considered 'mundane'.
"Worryingly, in contrast to the scale of the problem, relatively few young people are calling ChildLine to talk about the issue, whether for fear of being judged or being reported to the authorities. Most common contacts to ChildLine are when the issue has escalated beyond their control."
Have you been a victim of sexting? Email newsdesk@nottinghampost.com
