NSPCC Play on Sharing Sexual Images to Visit Jersey Primary Schools

NSPCC Play to Warn Jersey Pupils About Dangers of Sharing Images Online

A new play tackling the risks of sharing sexual images online will tour Jersey’s primary schools this September.

The Net, developed with input from local young people, parents and professionals, will be performed for all Year 6 pupils as part of an NSPCC initiative to improve online safety.

The story follows a popular girl who considers herself tech-savvy, but whose life takes a turn after she begins posting images on age-inappropriate platforms.

The launch comes as the Internet Watch Foundation reports that self-generated content is now the most common form of child sexual abuse material found online. Between 2022 and 2023, there was a 65% increase in cases involving children as young as seven to ten.

Self-generated imagery can include intimate pictures shared with consent but later distributed without permission, as well as coerced or exploitative images. Many are created on phones or webcams, often in what children believe to be the “safe space” of their own bedrooms.

The play forms part of the NSPCC’s wider Be The First Filter campaign, which provides resources for parents and carers to help them protect children online.

Emma Motherwell, NSPCC Jersey’s Local Campaigns Manager, said the issue has become increasingly urgent:

“There’s been a worrying rise in the sharing of indecent images and image-based sexual abuse online. This is something we must all confront now, ensuring that we, as adults, act as the first filter to protect young people.”

Each school performance will be followed by NSPCC-led workshops, while parents will be offered webinars to support conversations at home.

More than 80 professionals across Jersey have also received training on online harms, delivered jointly by the NSPCC and the Jersey Safeguarding Partnership.

David Goosey, Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Partnership, stressed the importance of a community-wide response:

“Keeping children safe online is a shared responsibility. This campaign, and the powerful story told through The Net, will help children, parents and professionals in Jersey talk openly about risks, choices and consequences in the digital world.

“By working together, we can give young people the skills and confidence they need to navigate the internet safely – while ensuring adults are ready to be that first filter of protection.”