CGOver the last few years the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) have reported on the numbers of pieces of content that are “self-generated”, and over the years the numbers have steadily increased.
That is not to say that every piece of content has willingly be created by a child, there are instances where an adult may be behind the camera or “directing” virtually. But none the less, self-generated content, selfies and nudes are adding to the numbers that the IWF manage to take down every year.
Sexting happens, and the messages of “don’t do it” are somewhat redundant.
So You Got Naked Online
In response to this, ‘So You Got Naked Online’ was first written in 2012 and has proved to be one of our most valuable and popular resources; translated into many languages it has inspired content globally.
The brain child of Laura Higgins and Ken Corish, was born from a desire to create a resource for young people who have already “sexted”.
Knowing that the resources available were weighted with messages like, “think before you send”, which is heartbreaking and useless advice to someone who has already sent a naked image of themselves to someone.
Update for 2020
Fast forward 7 years and with one update already under the belt, we felt it was time for another. The core of the resource has not changed, but some of the advice and wording has been updated. Why? Because it needed bringing into 2020!
It’s amazing how quickly language can evolve and change, when we read through the resource at the end of 2019 we realised it was very binary, using phrases like “if your boyfriend...”.
In today’s world using gender so rigidly may exclude people or make the resource feel less inclusive, we want everyone to benefit from the resource and not feel like it doesn’t relate to them.
While the general advice in there is the same, as it is still very relevant and useful; we’ve also added some new bits in. The advice is very practical and doesn’t look beyond the incident.
Support All The Way Through
We decided that if this resource is going to support someone all the way through, they need some after care advice too. My wonderful colleague Kate, from the Revenge Porn Helpline, has crafted a “self-care” page to help promote a bit of self-love and R&R.
These situations can be very distressing, especially when young people are repeatedly told that it is bad and will stay with them forever.
In our experience, over both helplines, people can recover from a sexting incident and the content isn’t necessarily out there for everyone to see forever.
What Next?
So, you got naked online. What next? Like most obstacles in life, we find ways to overcome them, we fight and we may even be stronger on the other side of it. Hopefully So You Got Naked Online v3 will help even more young people in this situation.
This FREE resource is available now to download from our website, you can also purchase printed copies from our store:
Access So You Got Naked Online
Useful Links
- Report an indecent image of a child online
- Guidance for schools and colleges on responding in instances of 'sexting' (UK Council for Internet Safety)
- Advice for schools: Responding to & Managing Sexting Incidents
- How to handle sexting incidents as a parent or teacher
- Sexting and Revenge Porn, What’s the difference?
