Kids as young as FOUR investigated by cops for sending indecent pics on phone
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THOUSANDS of children, some as young as four, have been investigated by police for 'sexting'.
In shocking figures shared by 27 police forces across England and Wales, more than 6,000 youngsters under the age of 14 have been quizzed by officers for sending indecent images over the past three years.
The data, which has been published by the Guardian, revealed there has been 306 cases of children under the age of 10 taking part in 'sexting' since 2017.
One case involved a nine-year-old girl who was recorded as an 'offender' for sending images to someone on Instagram.
In total 6,499 incidents of under 14s being involved in the crime have been recorded over the last three years.
Of these alarming figures, four of the offenders were just four years old, nine were five years old and 17 were aged just six.
Only 30 of the 6,000 plus total were charged by police with the majority of cases dropped.
In new guidance published in 2016, officers were advised they could stop further investigation into youth sexting if there was no evidence of exploitation, grooming, profit motive, malicious intent or extensive or inappropriate sharing.
No formal criminal justice would be taken as "it would not be in the public interest to do so" however, all crimes must be recorded under UK law.
Jennifer Twite, of charity Just for Kid's Law, said the figures were "deeply worrying".
What are the current sexting laws in the UK?
When you're under 18 it's against the law for anyone to take or have a sexual photo of you - even if it's a selfie
This means that if you pressure someone into taking a photo or you share a sexual photo with someone, you are breaking the law.
The police have the power to decide whether it’s for the best to record what’s happened or to take things further.
But they are quick to point out that the law is there to protect young people, not punish them.
The police have said that sexting by children will primarily be considered as a safeguarding issue.
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She said: "Police records should never be made for children under 10 since they are below the age of criminal responsibility and should never be criminalised."
Chief constable and national police lead for child protection Simon Bailey said the force would not criminalise children unnecessarily.
He added: "We continue to review our response, including when to name someone as a suspect, victim or witness.”