Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Thanks for your letter. I can hear you're worried about the link you received and about what to do next, so well done for getting in touch. From what you've said, you don't feel as though you have watched any child pornography, and this is why you feel confused about getting the link. 

It's hard for me to comment on the link itself I'm afraid, but it seems unlikely that it’s from the police. It’s important to be careful of any scams on the internet. Sometimes these scams pretend to be the police – but the real police will not usually get in touch by email or through your web browser.

We’re not legal experts here at ChildLine so if you're still concerned that you’re in any trouble, you could try talking to the Children’s Legal Centre. They are a free service that can give young people expert advice on a whole range of legal issues.

It’s not up to me to tell you what you should and shouldn’t be doing online – you said that porn is bad, and that’s a decision you need to make for yourself. Porn is made for adults and isn’t intended to be seen by young people – however I do hear from other young people who also say they have watched porn, so you are not alone. Something that’s important to think about is the impact it has on you when you watch porn – maybe you can take a look at what ThinkUKnow has to say about it and see if you recognise anything in your own life.

If you ever do come across something online that you think is child porn (and this could happen to anyone, even if they weren’t looking for porn to begin with) then you can also report that through ClickCEOP.

It would be okay to talk to an adult you trust about this as well but if you don’t feel able to do that, our counsellors are also always here to listen to you whenever you want to talk. You can contact us on 0800 1111, online in a 1-2-1 chat or email.

I hope this message has helped.

Take care,

Sam