Before Someone Shows Your Child Porn

Many children come across pornography by accident, often on social media, so talk to your child about it before someone shows them.

A two-minute read, three things to try, for ages 9 to 13.

Where to start

Talk about it before your child is likely to see it, briefly and more than once.
Tell them: “You won’t be in trouble for telling me, even if you went looking.”
Set up parental controls and SafeSearch, knowing they won’t stop everything.
Add one rule, whatever your child’s age: if anyone sends them a naked or sexual picture of someone under 18, or asks them for one, your child tells you and doesn’t pass it on. If that happens, never view, copy, print, share, store or save it, or ask a child to send it to you. A screenshot is a copy. Don’t delete anything until you have advice from the school’s designated safeguarding lead. If an adult sent it or asked for one, or anyone is pressuring your child to send pictures, report it to specialist police officers. CEOP (the police’s online child protection command). Report at https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/.
If an adult has shown your child pornography or sent it to them, treat it as a safeguarding matter and act that day. If it happened online, report it to the same specialist police officers too. If that adult lives in your home, go straight to children’s social care or the police. A national child protection helpline will talk it through with you. NSPCC, 0808 800 5000. Email help@nspcc.org.uk. Mon-Fri 10am-4pm by phone; email 11am-4pm, seven days a week. An email sent when the service is closed is not received. If the NSPCC service is closed and the concern cannot wait, call the police on 101. You can also contact the child’s local out-of-hours children’s social care, social work or social services team. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. Help is free.

The rest of the tip, and why it works, is in the library.

Sources

Children’s Commissioner for England, A lot of it is actually just abuse: young people and pornography (2023); Children’s Commissioner for England, Sex is kind of broken now: children and pornography (2025); Internet Matters, Protect your child from online pornography (2025); UK Safer Internet Centre, Parental controls; Ofcom, Age checks for online safety: what you need to know as a user (2025); UK Council for Internet Safety and Department for Education, Sharing nudes and semi-nudes (2024)

It goes with

Your Child’s Online World. For parents who have seen something on their child’s phone that they can’t unsee.
The Conversations Parents Avoid. For parents who need to tell their child something hard and don’t know how to start.

The first chapter you open here is free to read in full.

Free on this subject

Sexuality. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.
Online safety. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.

The rest of the library

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If you need help right now

If you or your child is in immediate danger: 999 · Go to your nearest A&E · 24/7.
If either you or your child is in a mental health crisis: NHS 111 · England, Scotland and Wales: call 111 and choose the mental-health option. Northern Ireland: call Lifeline on 0808 808 8000 · 24/7.
If your child is under 19 and needs to talk to someone themselves: Childline · 0800 1111 · 24/7 · www.childline.org.uk.
If you are worried that a child is being harmed or is at risk: NSPCC Helpline · 0808 800 5000 · Mon-Fri 10am-4pm by phone; email 11am-4pm, seven days a week. An email sent when the service is closed is not received. · email help@nspcc.org.uk · www.nspcc.org.uk/about-us/our-services/nspcc-helpline · If the NSPCC service is closed and the concern cannot wait, call the police on 101. You can also contact the child’s local out-of-hours children’s social care, social work or social services team. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
If you would prefer to text rather than speak: Shout · Text SHOUT to 85258 · 24/7 · giveusashout.org.
If you or someone you are worried about needs someone to talk to: Samaritans · 116 123 · 24/7 · www.samaritans.org.

If you need help right now

Published by Kensington Square Therapy. Company No. 16707111. Written by therapists registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). This page is not therapy, and not a substitute for professional support. The full library is at theparentbook.com.