New figures show that if data trends continue, by the end of the year there will have been a 300 to 400 per cent increase in the number of cases involving indecent images of children investigated by the States police.
Officers say that the increase is partly fuelled by them being alerted to more and more cases of young people sharing explicit pictures of themselves, friends or partners on social media – known as sexting or ‘sending nudes’.
Social media apps such as Snapchat, Lively, Yellow and Monkey are currently popular among children.
The Yellow app, for example, which has been described as ‘Tinder for teenagers’, puts children into contact with strangers. Tinder is a popular adult-only dating app used by thousands of Islanders.
Chief Inspector Chris Beechey, of the States police, described the rise of sexting as ‘one of the biggest changes in terms of reported incidents involving young people in the last 12 months’.
The JEP has been told that schoolchildren have been known to leave class mid-lesson to go to the toilet to take and share pictures.
Asked if such examples were a true reflection of what was happening in schools, Lesley Harrison, chairwoman of crime education charity Prison! Me! No Way!!!, said: ‘Yes, they will take any opportunity.
‘When we go into schools we ask children to put their hands up if they’ve ever done it or known someone who has. Lots of hands go up.’
So far this year the States police have investigated 35 indecent-images cases (compared to a total of 24 last year) – 17 of which have involved children sexting. The youngest child investigated was aged 11.
Although it is an offence for anyone, even a child, to possess, make or distribute a picture of someone younger than 16 – no child has been prosecuted this year.
