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	A police force has warned schoolchildren who share so-called &quot;sexts&quot; with friends over the internet that they could face prosecution in the criminal courts.</p>
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	In a letter sent to schools in Nottinghamshire, the county&#39;s sexual exploitation investigation unit said officers were receiving reports on a daily basis of naked images being sent between teenagers using mobile phones.</p>
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	In one recent case cited in the letter, a teenage girl who sent a topless picture of herself to her boyfriend was investigated after being deemed to have distributed an indecent image of a child.</p>
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	The girl&#39;s boyfriend, who forwarded the image to friends after they split up, is reported to have received a caution.</p>
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	In the letter sent to school officials, Detective Inspector Martin Hillier warns that court action for such offences may even see a child forced to register as a sex offender.</p>
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	The officer wrote: &quot;I have grave concerns over the amount of referrals Nottinghamshire Police are receiving on a daily basis in relation to naked images being sent between teenagers via either social networking, texts or mobile phone apps.</p>
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	&quot;It is crucial that children understand that every internet site and social networking site is monitored by an administrator.</p>
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	&quot;When photographs that fall within the category of an indecent image [even if taken with consent] are uploaded, reports are made by the administrators to the police.</p>
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	&quot;If a person is aged over ten years and distributes [shares - even to friends] an indecent image then they can be arrested, charged and dealt with for this offence.</p>
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	&quot;If they are found guilty they must then register as a sex offender.&quot;</p>
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	Stressing that images are almost impossible to remove from the internet after they have been uploaded, the officer added: &quot;An individual&#39;s online reputation needs protecting as it stays with them for the rest of their life.</p>
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	&quot;I would like to make every school in Nottinghamshire aware of these offences and the implications of pupils&#39; involvement in such behaviour.&quot;</p>
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	A &quot;sext&quot; is defined as a self-generated explicit image which is sent to other people by phone or over the internet.</p>
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	In January this year, Nottinghamshire County Council&#39;s anti-bullying co-ordinator Lorna Naylor warned youngsters that such images could leave them open to blackmail.</p>
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	Ms Naylor said: &quot;They can be deleted on social media or may only last a few seconds on apps like Snapchat, but images can still be saved or copied by others.</p>
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	&quot;These images may never be completely removed and could be found in the future, for example when applying for jobs or university.</p>
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	&quot;Young people may think &#39;sexting&#39; is harmless but it can leave them vulnerable to blackmail where someone may threaten to share the pictures with family and friends unless they send money or more images.&quot;</p>
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	<a href="http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0722/632457-sexting/">http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0722/632457-sexting/</a></p>
