A MOTHER-of-six has said her 12-year-old daughter was left “traumatised” after she was sent a naked picture on Facebook.
The Bournemouth mother said her daughter was “shocked and devastated” by the photo and remains terrified that it will happen again.
She said: “My daughter is such a gentle, normal 12-year-old so she was completely shocked by the naked picture. I'm just worried that it will happen again, so I will be making sure she can't access Facebook from now on.
“She was so innocent and the sexually explicit photo has completely devastated her. I only let her use Facebook for an hour a day and I closely monitored what she was doing, but I never expected anything like this to happen.”
As part of the testimony process at the police station, the 12-year-old had to draw the picture she was sent.
Her mother said: “She found this so humiliating and felt really degraded and dirty.”
LV=Streetwise Centre in Bournemouth teaches the importance of staying safe online using an online chat room.
Centre manager Alison Shelton said: “Given that someone online might lie about who they are it's best to only use online chat with real world friends and family – and even then young and old should always be prepared to tell a trusted adult if someone or something makes them feel uncomfortable.”
A Dorset police spokesperson said a 17-year-old was arrested and released without charge.
* If young people are being threatened online or they have shared something they regret they can report it to CEOP online by going to www.thinkuknow.co.uk or visiting the CEOP Safety Centre.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel