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Original poster

My son sent a nude - will he be prosecuted? What happens now?

85 replies

MumOfOneB0y · 27/05/2025 20:22

Hi,

My son is 15 and has just admitted to some stuff.

He met a girl online through his other friend (also 15). She asked his other friends (let's call him Joe) for a picture of his penis. Joe sent one. Joe then ended up (my son doesn't know how) with a picture of her breasts in a bra. She also asked my son (who she was at this point dating) for a picture of his penis. My son asked if he will get anything in return. She said he can see her breasts. They traded these nudes. My son deleted the photos (as per her request). But then she asked to see my son ejaculate and my son sent a video. He then asked if she would feel comfortable sending a picture of her butt in pants. She then responded with "my dad just saw that message on my watch". And my son asked what he said and apparently her dad was threatening to call my son and ask to speak to me. I would've been okay with this but now she is 'gohsting' my son and him and his friend are worried. We live in Leeds and this girl lives in Durham. What is going to happen? Please help!

OP posts:
Arran2024 · 27/05/2025 20:28

I suspect they are about to be scammed. Seriously, have they no idea about this stuff? I thought 15 year old boys knew about not sending nudes, not responding to requests from online "friends". Do you speak to him about online safety?

titchy · 27/05/2025 20:31

How can he be ‘dating’ someone a hundred miles away? Did they ever actually meet?

cestlavielife · 27/05/2025 20:31

"Met a girl online"
Who is probably not a girl at all
He has been very silly
Has this not been covered at school?
Now he will get blackmailed but at least he has told you
Get advice from ceops https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/

CEOP Safety Centre

https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre

LIZS · 27/05/2025 20:33

How are 15yo “dating” when they live so far apart? Have they met? Unfortunately he could be in trouble as both underage. He has been very naive.

babyproblems · 27/05/2025 20:36

I highly doubt the ‘girl’ was a 15 year old girl from Durham!
Agree it’s probably a scam… he’s learnt the hard way to listen to the advice to not send pictures or talk to strangers on the internet!!!!

AnonWho23 · 27/05/2025 20:37

You son needs to gave his phone and socials taken away from him. He isn't responsible enough to have them. There are a few possibilities.

1, it's a girl, and he's disrupting child porn. Unfortunately, this is the best case scenario.
2, it's a scam and he'll be ask for money or the video will be posted online.
3, it's a gang and he'll be blackmailed to fo jobs like deliver drugs or it eill be sent to you/ posted online ect

I'd take the phone and see what demands are made. You may need to get the police involved if it gets nasty. Also, i there have been suicides linked to this scam so watch your boy closely, remind him that you love him and your proud of him always.

Stripeyanddotty · 27/05/2025 20:37

Hope he’s not blackmailed.

Aitchemarsey · 27/05/2025 20:38

Sigh.

Very unlikely he would be in trouble with the police, although obviously both sending and receiving intimate photos of minors is against the law.

More importantly, as others have said, this is quite possibly a blackmail scam if he has never met this girl.

He should contact CEOP as previous poster has said. If the photos turn up online, Childline have a service that can find and remove them.

90% of "child porn" online is now generated by young people themselves, and then used or traded by God knows who. You really need to talk to your son about these things.

LittleHangleton · 27/05/2025 20:40

Safeguarding Lead here.

If things happened as he described, there will be no legal consequences. Police will not criminalise consensual exchange of nudes at this age.

If he sent a nude unsolicited, or pressured her for a nude, that could get him in trouble. Remember he's likely to give you a sanitised version of events.

Another risk is that he's now lost all real control over the imagery sent. If he finds out they are onward shared, that makes him a victim. He should never onward share someone else's image.

What's good here is the speed and apparent ease he told you about this. That's the right thing for him to do and suggests he has a good relationship with you. Most teens i deal with dont tell their parents. Support him to make good choices and learn, rather than shaming him.

JohnnyLuLus · 27/05/2025 20:41

This does indeed sound like sextortion. I work for a local authority in a children's mental health role and this is an exact story we hear again and again from teen boys.
I would agree with PP, get in touch with CEOP.

FortyElephants · 27/05/2025 20:44

Was his face showing in the pictures/videos?
As PP said police aren't likely to do anything if it is as he said it is, but more likely he's been targeted by scammers. Remove phone and unsupervised internet access privileges.

Calliopespa · 27/05/2025 21:04

babyproblems · 27/05/2025 20:36

I highly doubt the ‘girl’ was a 15 year old girl from Durham!
Agree it’s probably a scam… he’s learnt the hard way to listen to the advice to not send pictures or talk to strangers on the internet!!!!

Yes she sounds like an exceptionally grotty young lady if she is real.

muggart · 27/05/2025 21:08

if his face isn’t in the video then he can’t really be blackmailed

Houseshmouse · 27/05/2025 21:10

Parents need to wise up to what's happening to their children. Here is the playbook:

  1. Child is targeted and groomed
  2. They chat for a while and develop a relationship
  3. They get asked for nudes
  4. They then get blackmailed to say that their nudes will be sent to all their friends unless they send money
This is happening all the time and sometimes ends in young teens taking their lives.
Vivienne1000 · 27/05/2025 21:10

It’s illegal to show or share indecent images under 16. How this turns out will be whether her Father or indeed the young lady reports it.
Does he know if this girl is genuine? If not, you may need to go to the police.

EnjoythemoneyJane · 27/05/2025 21:15

Calliopespa · 27/05/2025 21:04

Yes she sounds like an exceptionally grotty young lady if she is real.

Show quote history

Wow. Not quite sure where to begin with that - judgement, shaming, misogyny, and thread derailing all in one line. Well played 👏

Momstermash94 · 27/05/2025 21:16

To be honest OP my guess is that she was just with her friends and thought it would be funny to try get nudes from the boys. Teens send each other nudes, not that its right at all but it's what happens. It was so common when I was a teen. I don't think he is about to be blackmailed (I doubt there is anyway of identifying him from the pics/video) and as they are both children I doubt they will be accused of distributing CP unless the photos have been sent to other people. My first thought would have been that it may not be a 15 year old girl on the other end but an older man pretending to be a teenager girl to lure younger boys.

Calliopespa · 27/05/2025 21:26

EnjoythemoneyJane · 27/05/2025 21:15

Wow. Not quite sure where to begin with that - judgement, shaming, misogyny, and thread derailing all in one line. Well played 👏

Show quote history

What is not grotty about asking people online to send you genital photos?

It’s not derailing: I was agreeing it’s likely a scam. Read between the lines a little.

And don’t be ridiculous about misogny. If it’s a female asking, I’m going to say “her.” Had it been a male who started it I’d have said exactly the same but using the pronoun “he.” This over-reactive misogny calling actually detracts from the whole anti-misogyny stance.

ETA your post was an attempt at judgment and shaming anyway so take a 👏👏👏 for yourself.

coxesorangepippin · 27/05/2025 21:31

If this is real, then no, he won't get prosecuted

But let's hope he learns from this experience

coxesorangepippin · 27/05/2025 21:32

Grotty young lady??! Include the boy, please

gamerchick · 27/05/2025 21:36

Well he's told you. Now he needs to tell you when he starts being blackmailed. I would take his phone for now tbh.

You dont even know if this girl exists.

soupyspoon · 27/05/2025 21:44

Even if she is a real person, no he wouldnt be prosecuted. If he was being aggressive and abusive and grooming her, well possibly spoken to but it never goes anywhere at that age.

However others have already set out what the other risks are which you should be more concerned about

This is why children shouldnt have smart phones but I'll be shouted down for that. Its all very well people saying 'teach them how to use it responsibly'. They are teens, they are impulsive and hormone led at this age. They make mistakes. We shouldnt be giving them the tools to make mistakes that will live with them, online, to be seen by everyone else forever. But we are, in their hand and they pootle off to school with them to show their friends their mistakes.

SD1978 · 27/05/2025 21:45

Has he actually seen the girl? On FaceTime? Or was it only messages? If the girl exists, he’s been an adopt and you need to make sure he u errands the very real risk to himself sending that stuff. Is his face in the video? If he’s never seen the girl, it could be an extortion/ scam from an adult and I’d be contacting the police immediately in case he is blackmailed by someone. Either way/ a very long conversation about why you do not share that on the internet is clearly needed

MiracleCures · 27/05/2025 21:46

Houseshmouse · 27/05/2025 21:10

Parents need to wise up to what's happening to their children. Here is the playbook:

  1. Child is targeted and groomed
  2. They chat for a while and develop a relationship
  3. They get asked for nudes
  4. They then get blackmailed to say that their nudes will be sent to all their friends unless they send money
This is happening all the time and sometimes ends in young teens taking their lives.

Exactly this

MiracleCures · 27/05/2025 21:49

soupyspoon · 27/05/2025 21:44

Even if she is a real person, no he wouldnt be prosecuted. If he was being aggressive and abusive and grooming her, well possibly spoken to but it never goes anywhere at that age.

However others have already set out what the other risks are which you should be more concerned about

This is why children shouldnt have smart phones but I'll be shouted down for that. Its all very well people saying 'teach them how to use it responsibly'. They are teens, they are impulsive and hormone led at this age. They make mistakes. We shouldnt be giving them the tools to make mistakes that will live with them, online, to be seen by everyone else forever. But we are, in their hand and they pootle off to school with them to show their friends their mistakes.

We were impulse driven and making risky decisions long before phones existed.
I remember girls climbing out of our boarding school windows to go and meet men. Men not boys. And this was a very respected boarding school

Banning phones isn't the issue. Having decent relationships with our children is the key. Ops son has told her what is going on. She and he should be proud they were able to have that conversation