Over 2,000 children could face criminal records after being reported to police for sexting
MORE than 2,000 children were reported to police for crimes linked to indecent images in the space of three years.
The figures were released amid concerns over so-called sexting among young people, where they share naked pictures on their phones and social media.
Under the letter of the law, making or sharing indecent photographs of anyone aged under the age of 18 could be classed as an offence - but there have been calls for recording rules to be adapted so children are not routinely criminalised.
In one previously reported episode, a 14-year-old boy was added to a police database after he sent a naked image of himself to a female classmate on picture messaging app
Recent research by the NSPCC suggested that parents were split on whether it was illegal for children to take nude selfies.
In the last year the number of children counselled by Childline about sexting increased by 15 per cent to almost 1,400.
The total number of offences regardless of age also rose sharply during the three years, from 4,530 in 2013, to 6,303 in 2014 and 10,818 in 2015.
Mr Wanless said: “Over the last two decades, digital technology has fuelled an explosion in the production and consumption of child sexual abuse images that increasingly involves the streaming of live video.
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