A YOUNG woman who was coerced into sending explicit photos when she was a teenager has highlighted the importance of education around the dangers of children sharing sexual images – as Jersey yesterday held a conference on the issue.
Roxy Longworth (22), from the UK, was in the Island for the launch of an online-safety campaign. The initiative, which is supported by NSPCC Jersey and the Jersey Safeguarding Partnership Board, seeks to raise awareness of the harm caused by “self-generated” child sexual images.
When Ms Longworth was 13, she was coerced by a boy four years older than her to send explicit photos.
“He then shared those images with a friend of his, who then used them to blackmail me into sending more and more explicit photos with the threat that if I didn’t, he would send them around school,” Ms Longworth told the JEP.
“Eventually he asked for very explicit videos that I couldn’t send.”
The photos were sent around the school and came to the attention of Ms Longworth’s teachers.
“I was punished for breaking their ICT tech rules,” the now 22-year-old recalled.
“The message was very much that I had been sending photos to boys.
“By the time my parents found out I was already spiralling down this dark shame spiral. I felt very guilty; I hated myself; I felt very disgusting.
“I started self-harming, eventually stopped sleeping, wouldn’t speak to anyone.
“When I stopped sleeping I started hearing voices, very slowly, so I ended up having a complete psychotic breakdown and was hospitalised – and then spent the rest of that school year on suicide watch.”
When Ms Longworth was 19 she wrote a book about what happened, and its impact, with her mother.
“When the book came out, it was really the first time I started to feel like it wasn’t all my fault, because of the overwhelming response of people being like, ‘What the hell – that is crazy’.”
She explained that the NSPCC then contacted her and provided support “to talk about it in a safe way to help other people”.
Ms Longworth stressed the importance of support and understanding from adults – both teachers and parents – to help children navigate the issue.
“In terms of parents, my mum had always been really clear about alcohol and drugs. That I obviously shouldn’t drink and I shouldn’t do drugs, but if I did and I got myself into a really tricky, messy situation, she would be there to support [me], no questions asked.
“We didn’t have the same conversation about online stuff.”
She pointed out that what happened to her could happen to any child.
“There was nothing about me that made me particularly vulnerable, other than my normal teenage feelings of wanting to be liked and wanting to fit in. Those were the things that made me vulnerable, which everyone experiences.
“So the conversation [should be] about: these are the risks, these are the dangers, don’t do this stuff – but if anything happens I’m here and I will help you get through it.”
