Sexting Risks for Teens: Staying Safe
Sexting—sending sexually explicit messages, images, or videos via mobile or online platforms—is a reality for many UK teenagers. With the rise of smartphones and social media, sharing intimate content has become a common part of modern teenage relationships. While the urge to explore and connect is natural, it’s crucial to understand the risks and learn how to manage them safely.
Why Do Teens Sext?
There are many reasons why teens might engage in sexting:
Exploring sexuality and curiosity
Peer pressure or feeling like “everyone is doing it”
Wanting to impress or please a partner
Social acceptance or joining in with friends
According to a study by EU Kids Online, 12% of UK 11–16-year-olds had seen or received sexual messages online, with 2% experiencing this more than once a week. In 2019, police in England investigated an average of 241 sexting cases per month involving children under 14. These statistics highlight just how common sexting has become among young people.
The Risks: What Can Go Wrong?
While sexting might seem harmless or even exciting to teens, there are serious risks involved that parents/guardians need to have open conversations about. These risks include:
Loss of Control: Once an image or video is sent, you have no control over where it goes or who sees it. Even if you trust the recipient, things can change—relationships end, phones get hacked, and images can be shared without your consent.
Bullying and Emotional Distress: If images are shared beyond the intended person, you could face bullying, embarrassment, or humiliation at school or online. The emotional impact can be severe, leading to anxiety, regret, or even depression.
Blackmail and Exploitation: Some people use explicit images to threaten or blackmail others, demanding more images or even money in exchange for not sharing them further. There have also been cases of paedophiles posing as peers to obtain images from young people.
Revenge Porn: Sharing private sexual images without consent—often after a breakup—is a criminal offence and can cause lasting harm to the victim.
Long-term Consequences: Once something is online, it can resurface years later. Over 90% of employers reportedly check applicants’ online presence, and inappropriate images can affect university applications or job prospects.
Legal Risks: In the UK, it’s illegal to produce, possess, or share indecent images of anyone under 18—even if you’re under 18 yourself and even if the image is of you. While police now use “Outcome 21” to avoid criminalising young people in most cases, the law is clear.
Who’s Sending and Receiving?
A survey found that 70% of 11–18-year-olds knew the sender of a sexually explicit message personally, with 23% coming from a current partner, 45% from friends, and 2% from adults. This shows that while most sexting happens between people who know each other, there’s always a risk of images ending up with strangers or being misused.
Apps like Linq aim to help teens and adults by understanding that images of a sensitive nature (not always sexting) will be sent, and provide the ability to consistently manage where and who has access to the image, highlighting the importance of continued trust and privacy.
Managing Sexting: How to Stay Safe
Let’s be realistic: many teens will sext. The key is to manage the risks and protect yourself.
Tips for Safer Sexting:
Never send images to people you don’t know in real life. Strangers online may not be who they say they are, and their intentions might not be good.
Think before you send. Ask yourself: Would I be okay if this image was seen by my friends, family, or future employers?
Understand consent. Never share someone else’s image without their permission—this is not only wrong but also illegal.
Know your rights. If you’re pressured, harassed, or blackmailed, it’s not your fault. Speak to a trusted adult, teacher, or contact organisations like Childline or CEOP for help.
Delete and report. If you receive an explicit image you didn’t ask for, delete it and don’t share it. Reporting it can help protect others.
Sexting is a part of modern teenage life, but it comes with real risks—legal, emotional, and social. The most important thing is to make informed choices, look out for your friends, and never feel pressured to do something you’re uncomfortable with. If something goes wrong, remember you’re not alone and support is available.
Stay safe, stay smart, and remember: once it’s sent, you can’t take it back.
At Big Sister, we advocate for children's safety online. Our app marks a positive change in the way that our children are protected online, using flags and alerts to warn parents of dangerous content without breaking down trust and privacy barriers between children and adults.
Find out more about how to protect your children online without breaking their trust in our latest blog here.
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