My name is Ewan and I'm 16 years old. A girl on Snapchat got an explicit image of me and is threatening to show it to all of my friends on Instagram She is blackmailing me for money and won't stop and keeps threatening to send the image if I don't send money I don't know what to do or how to remove it as it is on her phone and computer
Hi there
What this girl is doing is illegal and you could report this to the police, and they would support you. It might help to talk to a trusted adult so they can be there for you through this.
Currently, it's illegal for anyone to share send or save a nude image of themselves or someone under the age of 18, even if they are also under 18. Sometimes people do this while in a healthy relationship and consent to it and in those cases any prosecution would be unlikely.
It might be that a person chose to send a picture at the time but now wants that person to delete it, perhaps because of how they are being treated or that they are no longer comfortable with them having it. The first step is requesting they delete without sharing it and they should respect your wishes. You mention your image was explicit and if that does contain nudity then that law applies to your situation.
It is also breaking the law to blackmail and threaten at any time, you can report this to your local police or do this anonymously on CEOP where you will see a step by step reporting process and answers to other questions you may have.
After asking this person to delete the images it’s important to not continue to respond to them, but save any contact the make to you, so you have evidence. If the image was nude and is shared online we can help you get that removed through Report Remove.
This can be a very scary experience, and some may feel like unable to talk about it. You deserve support and having someone you trust to help you with this may make things feel easier. The message boards and Childline counsellors are also there to support you anytime, help this helps
Take care
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
