Sexting is a form of harassment that equally affect children and adults of all ages
So, you got naked, did some sexting and shared an image or video with someone that you trusted and now, you are in the middle of a horrendous online harassment campaign or sextortion against you. Sexting and harassment go hand in hand,so if you had your intimate images posted all over the internet or shared with more sexting, it is likely that you feel not only violated but also harassed.
How can sexting escalate to social media
What to do if you are a victim of a sexting harassment campaign
What is sexting
Sexting is a term which describes the sharing of intimate images and videos with others, using online technologies, mobile phones and social networking sites. What could go wrong with trading a few sexy photos and doing some sexting? You may be wondering about the legal implications of sexting. Generally speaking, private sharing of nude or suggestive photos between consenting adults may not be illegal. However, Cohen Davis have found that sexting can turn into a campaign of online harassment and bullying and perpetrators can be imprisoned for 2 years under the criminal act of revenge porn, among many other criminal and civil wrongdoings.
While sexting is common among adults, who do just keep intimate messages to themselves, there is a growing popularity among younger people and it can raise concerns about their safety and mental health, since many find the sexting can often turn into online harassment, as their images and videos are shared on social media. You may have intended to share some naked images with just one person, but the problem happens when that image gets forwarded to multiple people and then posted on social media for all the world to see. Sharing can spread like wildfire across the internet.
How can sexting escalate to social media
Sexting may include photo or video attachments with explicit sexual content. In many cases, people who are or want to be romantically involved may 'sext' each other. Not always, though. Sexting can often happen when your judgement is clouded; if you are under the influence of alcohol and drugs, which could result in you sending intimate images accidentally or you are feeling a bravado and less inhibited, more sexually confident and less aware of the consequences. You may feel pressure to sext from someone else to do it as a dare and feel that it is a laugh and in the heat of the moment and where would be the harm in it.
Why sexting is harmful
Some people may not consider the harms of sexting in the heat of the moment but sexting can lead to some more serious consequences and can create potential harmful online harassment issues, like cyberbullying involving mass sharing online, online trolling from sexual predators, impersonation where online users use your images and set up a social media account inviting lewd comments, revenge porn criminal charges, social media defamation and potential phone hackers gaining access to your phone pictures and copying and sharing them. Many people have sent photos using Snapchat, believing that they will disappear in seconds and so, this provides a false security and they are surprised to see the snap images that they took are appearing online. There are many cases where the images have been saved, using a third party application that uses photo capturing technology and then shared. There are so many implications with sexting, even where you think you are being protected using a social media account.
There's also the emotional distress and anxiety that comes from having your intimate images and videos being shared online. The mental health issues that many of our clients have expressed, due to online harassment that started from innocent sexting, has been far reaching, with long term effects.
What to do if you are a victim of a sexting harassment campaign
If you found yourself in the middle of a campaign of harassment that started out as sexting, you may wonder how you stand legally and may feel fearful or embarrassed about seeking legal help. Cohen Davis deal with all sorts of online harassment and it is most likely that we have dealt with a case like yours. We will assist with removing the images and videos and consider all legal options of sexting for you. Book a consultation with us, as soon as possible. We may just be able to solve your online harassment issues within that comprehensive consultation, so do not despair because help is here: 0800-612-7211.