Sexting, the Law & You, England

Sexting is not a legal term but has very real legal consequences if reported to the police, especially regarding future job choices, even for voluntary work. The lesson explores the legal language of common sexting activities and introduces pupils to real life scenarios and how they are viewed by the legal authorities.

We provide two lesson plans to reflect differences in maturity as pupils examine case studies for children age 11-14 and for 15-18 year olds.

There is an opportunity for pupils to undertake discussion in pairs or small groups and for feedback as a class. The Teacher’s Guide provides you with all the information you need to deliver the lesson and enable you to speak confidently about the subjects raised. There are links to research papers where appropriate and signposting to other relevant resources and websites. It does not constitute legal advice but rather provides an overview of the some of the key legal issues around sexting.

This fully resourced law lesson has been developed by lawyers in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Youth Justice Legal Centre and the police. It conforms to the law of England and Wales. Other experts consulted include more than 20 teachers, many experienced in developing training materials for schools, youth and community leaders, psychiatrists, doctors, psychologists and many parents. This lesson, along with the others in this series, has been piloted across the UK.

Sexting, the Law & You is the second of our two lessons on Sexting. It can be taught as a stand-alone lesson or after Introduction to Sexting.

Resources 11-14 years: 21-slide PowerPoint (.pptx); a 15-page Teacher’s Guide; a 10-page Case Studies Pack for Teachers and a 13-page Case Studies Pack for Pupils (all .pdf). There are hot links to relevant research and further resources.

Resources 15-18 years: 22-slide PowerPoint (.pptx); a 15-page Teacher’s Guide; a 10-page Case Studies Pack for Teachers and a 10-page Case Studies Pack for Pupils (all .pdf). There are hot links to relevant research and further resources.