A 14-year-old boy has revealed that he was added to a police database after he sent a naked image of himself to a female classmate.

The boy, whose identity has not been made public, said he sent the image by Snapchat from his bedroom while flirting with a girl of the same age, who then shared it with others.

He was later told the incident was recorded on a police intelligence database as a crime of making and distributing an indecent image of a child, after the photograph came to the attention of an officer based at the school, which is in the north of England.

Although the boy was not arrested or charged with any crime, he has been told the file remains active for a minimum of 10 years, meaning the incident may be flagged to potential employers conducting an advanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (previously known as a CRB), such as for those who work with children.

The boy’s mother said she received a call from the school-based police officer who informed her of what had happened. “I don’t really remember a lot of what was said, because her opening line was ‘Simon [name has been changed] has taken and distributed an indecent image of himself’,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday.



“Simon was very embarrassed. I asked him what had happened, he was in his bedroom at his dad’s the night before, he was flirting with a girl, and he sent a picture of himself via something called Snapchat. I didn’t even know what Snapchat was.

“I think at best he was naive and at worst he was just a teenager. It is referred to as sexting, and apparently it happens all the time. It is just how teenagers flirt these days.”

The boy said he was “embarrassed” and “intimidated” by the incident and now spends lunchtimes in the library to avoid being teased by classmates who have seen the image.

He said: “You hear from a few people who have done it every week, it just feels like something to do. I shouldn’t have done it. It’s just annoying really, something that I did when I was 14 could reflect badly in future.”

Under the Sexual Offences Act, possessing or distributing indecent images of a person under 18 is illegal. If the boy was an adult, the sharing of his image would be classed as revenge porn and he would be protected as a victim.

Deputy chief constable Olivia Pinkney, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for children and young people, said schools were given the prerogative to deal with situations in a manner they deemed suitable.

“A new national strategy for children and young people was launched this year which highlights the importance of getting our response right and avoiding unnecessary criminalisation – especially where the behaviour can be dealt with more appropriately through other means,” she said.

“If agreed by those involved, schools and educational establishments have the ability to deal with situations as they see fit. If any party chooses to report the incident to police, the Home Office counting rules are clear that it must be recorded as a crime.

“Importantly, however, the resolution of the incident and decision to investigate further remains at an officer’s discretion. Further still, the decision to disclose this as part of associated checks in future life is one carefully considered by forces, in line with Home Office guidance, ensuring it is relevant and its context outlined. Work is ongoing with partners to ensure that this guidance is clear and applied in a consistent way.”

Pinkney added that while sexting might seem like a harmless or normal activity, there were many risks involved. “Once circulated, the sender loses all control of that image and can cause significant distress when it gets into wider hands. It is essential that we work, both alone and alongside partners such as schools and families, to intervene early and prevent young people from becoming both the victims and perpetrators of crime.”

The school in question said the incident had been dealt with in a routine way and all students had been informed of the recent change in policy. It is not clear whether any action was taken against the girl who received and shared the image.

Anne Longfield, the children’s commissioner for England, said: “Helping children to understand the consequences of inappropriate images of both themselves as senders and receivers is vital. Parents and schools have a very important role in explaining the consequences of sexting and sending illicit images of themselves or other young people.

“This case has brought to light the impact of the digital world and it is one that we’ll be looking at as we start our task force ‘growing up digital’, this autumn. There is an important discussion to be had with the way police deal with these situations and I would be concerned if children were criminalised as a result.”