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Simfin

online safety and digital citizenship specialist

Thousands of children under 14 have been investigated by police for sexting

Thousands of children under 14 have been investigated by police for sexting

Thousands of children under 14 have been investigated by police for sexting
07 January 2020

More than 6,000 children under 14 have been investigated by police for sexting offences in the past three years, including more than 300 of primary school age.

Figures disclosed by 27 police forces in England and Wales revealed 306 cases of children under 10, including some as young as four, being investigated on suspicion of taking or sharing indecent images of themselves or other minors since 2017.

Critics say children are being given police records for behaviour they do not fully understand.

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