AN “extremely concerning” rise in sexual imagery being created and shared by children is due to be discussed today at a conference marking the launch of a multi-agency campaign intended to help tackle the issue.
The online safety campaign, supported by NSPCC Jersey and the Jersey Safeguarding Partnership Board, seeks to raise awareness of the harm caused by “self-generated” child sexual images.
The term refers to indecent pictures taken by and featuring children – and applies to material produced and shared voluntarily as well as situations where children are groomed, deceived or extorted into complying.
A conference marking the launch of the campaign is today scheduled to take place at the Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, where professionals who work with children and young people across the Island will hear from online safety experts.
Speakers at the event will include representatives from the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse and the Internet Watch Foundation, which aims to “detect, disrupt, remove, and prevent online child sexual abuse material”.
According to a survey undertaken by online-safety organisation Internet Matters in 2020, 4% of 13-year-olds, 7% of 14-year-olds and 17% of 15 to 17-year-olds said they had shared a nude or sexual photo of themselves with someone else.
And, of the webpages with child sexual abuse imagery dealt with by the IWF last year, 92% were assessed as containing “self-generated” imagery – a 14% increase on 2022.
Children’s Minister Richard Vibert described the issue as “hugely important” and “very current”.
“I am delighted that key partner agencies are working together to highlight the risks to Islanders,” he continued.
“It is vital that parents, carers and educators continue to work together and build upon what is already in place, to ensure we are best protecting and guiding our children and young people in this ever-changing environment.”
Kate Briden, the chief officer for Justice and Home Affairs said the conference was a “crucial opportunity” for professionals working with children to gain a better understanding of the issues being discussed.
“They may not be easy to talk about but that does not make them go away. We need to be well equipped for the modern, digital world our children and young people – and adults – need to navigate, well informed and safely,” she added.
Emma Motherwell, the NSPCC’s local campaigns manager for the South West and the Channel Islands, said: “As part of the Safeguarding Partnership Board we are pleased to be working alongside our partners in Jersey to bring forward this campaign which we hope will help professionals, parents and carers to protect children and keep them safe.
“This conference will give professionals the opportunity to find out what they can do to help children navigate the digital world and keep them safe from harm. The rise in self-generated child sexual material is extremely concerning and we want to make sure that we can prevent children from experiencing this form of harm.”
She added: “We look forward to working with professionals, parents and carers to tackle this key issue of online safety which has been identified as a priority here in Jersey.”
As part of the campaign, work has begun to develop approaches to support education professionals, parents and carers.
This includes an education group working on support for primary schools across the Island, while a parents and carers group will be leading on a parent-facing campaign to provide information and guidance.
