Megan Hinton speaks out to mark Safer Internet Day

The film tells the real life story of Megan Hinton who aged 14 moved to a new school after being bullied at her previous school, and was desperate to fit in.

The theme is that everyone wanted to be friends with the new girl meaning her social media profiles started getting more friends and followers.

She didn’t think things could get any better, when she thought she had caught the eye of a boy and they began chatting on social media. However, things were not as they seemed and she found herself being tricked into sending a nude photo of herself which was shared around the school and beyond.

Megan, now 19, was devastated, but is now speaking about her experience to warn young people and educate people about the dangers of sending such pictures online.

PC Maria Carrick said: “Together with Megan we have created three versions of our film, ‘Sending nudes: #ItHappenedToMe’. One version is aimed at young people, one at parents and one at professionals who work with young people to highlight the risks of sexting.

“We hope that hearing about Megan’s experience and how she overcame this difficult time will give strength and support to young people who experience bullying and pressure for nude pictures or naked selfies.

“We’ll be broadcasting our film on a range of social media and online channels, including Safe4Me, to get the message across to as many people as possible and will be sending the film to schools so it can be shown to pupils and staff. We will continue working in partnership with schools, youth centres, and others organisations to raise awareness.

“We encourage parents and teachers not to be afraid to talk to children about their activities on social media and explain the importance of privacy, and thinking before uploading content online, to prevent them from becoming both the victims and perpetrators.”

For more information, go to safe4me.co.uk.