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A governor’s guide to responding to incidents of nudes and semi-nudes being shared

Introduction

Sharing nudes and semi-nudes – sometimes referred to as ‘sexting’ – is the creation and/or sharing of nude or semi-nude images, videos or live streams by young people under the age of 18. Children and young people often share such photos and videos through devices, online platforms and messaging apps.

Why does it happen?

A child or young person may create or share this type of image as:

  • a form of flirting
  • part of a consensual or romantic relationship
  • a result of peer pressure, either from a partner or friend(s)
  • a means to explore their sexual feelings or identity
  • a form of attention-seeking or validation
  • a response to a dare
  • a result of coercion or threatening behaviour such as bullying or blackmail (often referred to as ‘sextortion’).

Where does the law stand?

In England and Wales, the Protection of Children Act 1978 makes it an offence to take, make, show, possess or distribute indecent images of anyone under the age of 18.

This can be a confusing situation for a child or young person. If they have taken a nude image of themselves and stored it privately on their device, this is still an offence, even if the image only shows them.

However, the police now view many sharing nudes and semi-nudes incidents that only involve children and young people as a safeguarding issue, rather than a criminal matter. Criminalising children and young people who take and share nudes and semi-nudes of themselves, apart from in exceptional cases, is not in the public interest or best interests of those involved.

This can create complicated situations for adults working with children and young people.

As a governor to challenge their schools and colleges to effectively safeguard their learners you need to know what advice is available for you, headteachers, senior leadership teams in schools and all school staff if there is an incident of nudes and semi-nudes being shared. Advice is available in the Sharing nudes and semi-nudes guidance for education settings in Wales for the designated safeguarding person (DSP), headteachers and senior leadership teams in schools, colleges and other education settings in Wales. The accompanying training module provides a summary of each section of the guidance and includes reflection questions that can support with developing procedures for handling incidents to ensure an appropriate and proportionate response.

There is also a short summary overview document for all staff in schools on how to manage incidents and will also be of interest to local authorities, diocesan authorities, Governors Wales, and staff within organisations that have a lead responsibility for safeguarding children and young people

A detailed breakdown of all legislation that Welsh schools must comply with is provided in the ‘School Governors' guide to the law’.

What should a school do if they become aware of an incident of nudes and semi-nudes being shared?

If a member of the school’s staff becomes aware of a child or young person in possession of indecent images of either themselves or others under 18, then it's important to act.

Firstly, they should stay calm. Responding rashly can make the incident more difficult to resolve and may also put them in a difficult position both professionally and personally.

Unless they have specific responsibility for safeguarding in their school, their first priority is to follow the school’s safeguarding procedures and report the incident to the Designated Safeguarding Person (DSP).

What should be done if an incident happens?

  • Never view, download or share the imagery yourself or ask a child or young person to share it with you or download it to another device. This is illegal, even if you do it with the best intentions of helping that child or young person with their problem.
  • Report it to the DSP if you've seen the image by accident (for example, a child or young person showed it to you before you could advise them not to).
  • Do not delete the image or ask the child or young person to delete it.
  • Do not ask any children or young people involved in the incident to disclose information about the image or the incident – this is the responsibility of the DSP.
  • Do explain to the child or young person(s) involved that you need to report the incident, and reassure them they will receive support and help from the DSP.
  • Do respect the confidentiality of this safeguarding matter – you should not share information about the incident with other staff members, children or young people, or parents or carers.
  • Do be supportive of the child or young person(s) involved – blaming and shaming is not appropriate in such a sensitive situation. If any sanctions or referrals to other agencies are required, they will be agreed by the DSP and senior leadership.
  • Do ensure you understand your school’s policies around confiscation and searching. You should not attempt to search a child or young person’s device for nudes and semi-nudes, even if you hold responsibility for carrying out searches for other prohibited content in school. This is a matter for the police.
  • You must inform the DSP immediately if you have any concerns that an adult has been involved in the creation, distribution or possession of an indecent image of anyone under 18. You can also report your suspicions directly to CEOP Command at the UK’s National Crime Agency.

What help is available for headteachers, senior leadership teams in schools and all school staff education to educate learners about the risks and issues surrounding sharing nudes and semi-nudes?

Education can be an important preventative measure. It presents valuable opportunities for children and young people to learn and ask questions about the risks relating to the creation and sharing of nudes and semi-nudes.

Helping  learners to understand the safeguarding procedures in their school can give them greater confidence to disclose concerns or incidents. Ensuring they know who they can talk to, and that any disclosures will be treated confidentially and respectfully, can remove barriers to seeking help. Project deSHAME’s research report found that, among the children and young people surveyed, the top reason for not telling a teacher about online sexual harassment was that they were “worried that their school would overreact”. The following resources are available to help educate children and young people on issues around sharing nudes and semi-nudes.

Primary-aged learners

Secondary-aged learners

If you require further guidance, resources and/or specialist support it is recommended that you visit the trusted partners and organisations or support services. These include signposting information for organisations including Barnado’s, Childline, NSPCC, SchoolBeat Cymru, the National Crime Agency-CEOP (See specifically the Thinkuknow education programme), Stop it Now! Wales, and others who have expertise in this area.

For more information about keeping learners safe online, you'll find a wide range of bilingual online safety resources available on the Keeping Safe Online area of Hwb.

  • First published 05 October 2022
  • Last updated 20 March 2024