Hi there,
Thanks for your letter. Having someone threaten to expose pictures of you online can be incredibly scary. I cant tell you how glad I am you had the courage to write to me about it.
You didnt mention how old you are but when youre under 18, if somebody has or looks at a naked photo of you, it is considered to be child pornography. This is the case whether they had been given the photo or they took it themselves. Keeping that photo or showing it to someone else is a really serious crime. No matter how old you are, its not okay for someone to secretly take pictures of you having sex or without any clothes on.
Knowing that what happened is wrong and that your ex-boyfriend isnt allowed to do this might still leave you feeling scared. Its important to remember that often people like your ex-boyfriend will know how much trouble they could get into by sharing pictures of you online.
You can report whats happening to CEOP, the part of the police who are there to support children and young people online. You can also get more information about sexting and staying safe online on our sexting page as well as on the CEOP website, thinkuknow.co.uk.
It can be embarrassing to even try and talk about things like this sometimes, but its important to always keep in mind that youve not done anything wrong. When someone is threatening you like this, it can sometimes feel like its never ending. CEOP arent there to judge you, they are there to keep you safe no matter what. It can help as well to think about adults in your life that you trust who you might be able to talk to about this, and who even might be able to support you in feeling able to report it.
No matter what, it would be a really good idea to talk to a Childline counsellor about whats been happening. The counsellors will never judge you or tell you what to do, but they can help you to understand your rights, talk about how youve been feeling and think about what you think is best for you in the future. You can contact a ChildLine counsellor any time by calling free on 0800 1111, using our 1-2-1 chat or by emailing us.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
