What should I do if someone creates a fake account pretending to be my child?
Report to the platform and local law enforcement. You can also make a report with The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
What counts as sexting involving minors?
The term sexting can mean any kind of sexual content sent on an app or online platform. This can be text-based content (like a text message describing a sex act), emojis (like the eggplant emoji), sending links to explicit content, and sending sexual pictures and videos of themselves or others. The most common use of […]
Why is it illegal for minors to send intimate images, even of themselves?
There is always risk associated with these types of images, so the law is very strict. However, law enforcement is not likely to arrest a minor for sending an intimate image of themselves.
Should my child save messages or delete them if something unsafe happens online?
If you and/or your child wish to report the unsafe actions, keeping messages can be helpful to provide evidence.
What should I do if my child already sent a picture and now regrets it?
Thank your child for coming to you and trusting you. Tell them that you will work on this with them to address it the best you can. If the picture can be unsent, do so. If they have a good relationship with the recipient and that person is a peer, they can ask that person […]
What is sextortion, and how does it affect children and teens?
Sextortion is when someone manipulates someone until they trust them enough to send a sexual picture or video, then that person threatens to release the sexual content if the person does not meet their demands. Sextortion can happen to anyone of any age, but with increasing access to the internet, young people are at increasing […]
Can my child get in trouble for having an explicit picture someone else sent them?
Your child can get in trouble (at school, as well as get into legal trouble) for having an explicit picture someone else sent them, especially if they asked for it or sent it on to other people. If the picture was sent to them without their consent, they should not keep it unless it is […]
Can I ask for another adult to be present during a medical exam?
Yes! If you want your doctor’s office to have someone from there chaperone your medical exam instead of a parent or guardian, you can ask! You can ask for a chaperone for any exam, even if your parent or guardian wasn’t even going to be there.
What if an explicit picture was sent to my child as a joke?
If the picture was sent to them without their consent they should not keep it unless it is evidence of ongoing harassment (for example, from an ex girlfriend or boyfriend). If they wish to do so, they can report to school or law enforcement so they can address it.
How do I tell a friend to stop without ruining the friendship?
One way you can make it easier is to start with a compliment or something positive: “I know you really care about me and…” “You always say the most supportive things, so maybe you didn’t realize X thing was hurtful…” Then you want to make sure you clearly set the boundary: “When you call me […]