hi when i was younger like 2 years ago i send nudes to a guy i didnt know on snapchat, today i found out that it was a joint account between quite a few men who go onto the account and masturbate to my pictures without my consent , the person who contacted me is apart of that group and i have seen that they have my pictures, he is now telling me he will delete them and change the password if i send more please reply i dont know what to do now im really scared and anxious and ive begged him to stop becuase my anxiety can go crazy when im under alot of presure and i just dont know what to do please respond xx
Sam
Hi there,
It's illegal for someone to have and share sexual images of someone who is under 18 years old. No matter what they say, it's best for you to not trust someone online who has already broken the law as they’re unlikely to stick to their promises.
What this group of men have done is illegal and you don't have to keep this to yourself. You don't need to know their real identities to report them to the police. If you wanted to report what has happened, Snapchat should work with the police to find out who these people are and provide that information to them.
To make a report about this you can do it through the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) online reporting tool. CEOP will investigate based on what you've told them and will contact you on the details you provide to talk about what might happen next. It's a big step to take, so it's important you feel ready to do this - if you want to, you can talk about it with a Childline counsellor first - they’ll keep it confidential.
It's not a good idea to send this person any more pictures or videos. It's important to think about whether what they’re saying seems realistic. For example, if they’re promising to delete the photos, what would be the point in changing the password as well? It might be that they’re telling you whatever they think you want to hear so that you'll send more. They have lied to you already so it's unlikely they’re going to do what they say.
If you choose not to tell the police it’s is important you look after your own feelings - talking to someone else you trust can be a good idea so that you're not trying to cope with this alone. If you have a friend or and adult you know will support you then it might be good to reach out to them. You can also talk with other young people who might have had similar experiences on our message boards.
Something else I want to mention is that if you ever see sexual or naked images of yourself online that are not in private chats you can use Childline's Report Remove tool to get those taken down.
I hope this has helped, thanks for sharing this with me.
Take care.
Sam
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