Online posts may not be realistic
Don’t confuse peoples’ posts on social media as being a true and complete reflection of that person’s life. In reality it is probably them portraying themselves at their very very best.
Category Archives: Online safety
Isolation can be used to exploit you
If someone is trying to sexually exploit you, they may try to isolate you from your friends or family by saying they are the only person you need, that your family won’t understand or you’ll be in trouble.
Who is trying to get power over you?
People who exploit young people for sex want them to think they are a friend, or a boyfriend or girlfriend, to gain their trust to get power over them. They might use bribes, threats, humiliation and violence to get this power.
How can I tell if someone is a groomer?
An online groomer might keep messaging you through different ways, ask you to keep it a secret, ask you if you trust them, and ask who else uses your computer (to find out if they could get caught).
How can online grooming start?
Someone online might pretend to be like you and have the same interests or problems as you. They could just be doing this to get you to trust them, so later on they can get you to do what they want.
Online, people can hide who they really are
Online, someone might send you a photo they say is of themselves when it isn’t them. It’s important to be really careful and not trust people online if you can’t be sure who they are.
An online groomer will pressurise you for more
A ‘groomer’ might say that they will share online any images or videos you’ve made for them if you don’t send more.
What is online grooming?
Online grooming is when someone builds an online relationship with a young person and tricks them or forces them to do something sexual such as making photo’s or videos, sexual conversation or meet-ups.
What can I do if I've been sent an unwanted sexual image?
If you’ve been sent a rude or sexual photo from a stranger, speak to an adult in your life that you trust and tell them what you have received. Report them using CEOP’s website and block them from contacting you again.
What can I do if I've shared a naked image?
If you have sent an image to someone and wish you hadn’t, have an honest conversation with them and ask them to delete it. The quicker you can do this the better – you may be able to stop them passing it on.