INTRODUCTION: Welcome to the NSPCC Learning Podcast,
INTRODUCTION: where we share learning and expertise in
INTRODUCTION: child protection from inside and outside of
INTRODUCTION: the organisation.
INTRODUCTION: We aim to create debates, encourage
INTRODUCTION: reflection and share good practice on how
INTRODUCTION: we can all work together to keep babies,
INTRODUCTION: children and young people safe.
GEORGE LINFIELD: Welcome to the NSPCC Learning Podcast.
GEORGE LINFIELD: This episode focuses on Report Remove,
GEORGE LINFIELD: an online tool from the NSPCC and the
GEORGE LINFIELD: Internet Watch Foundation that under-18s
GEORGE LINFIELD: can use to report nude images or videos
GEORGE LINFIELD: of themselves that have been shared
GEORGE LINFIELD: online to see if they can be removed
GEORGE LINFIELD: from the internet.
GEORGE LINFIELD: In just a moment, you'll hear from Chloe
GEORGE LINFIELD: O'Connor, Projects Manager within the
GEORGE LINFIELD: NSPCC's Child Safety Online Solutions
GEORGE LINFIELD: Lab, in conversation with online safety
GEORGE LINFIELD: practitioners from Childline and the
GEORGE LINFIELD: Internet Watch Foundation.
GEORGE LINFIELD: They will explain more about what Report
GEORGE LINFIELD: Remove is and how it works; the
GEORGE LINFIELD: confidentiality and security around the
GEORGE LINFIELD: tool; how professionals who work with
GEORGE LINFIELD: children should approach an incident of
GEORGE LINFIELD: nude image sharing; and how
GEORGE LINFIELD: professionals can use Report Remove to
GEORGE LINFIELD: support young people involved in these
GEORGE LINFIELD: incidents.
GEORGE LINFIELD: But first, let's hear from two members
GEORGE LINFIELD: of the NSPCC's Young People's Board for
GEORGE LINFIELD: Change about why the Report Remove tool
GEORGE LINFIELD: is important for children and young
GEORGE LINFIELD: people.
YPBCM1: I think it's incredibly important that
YPBCM1: young people have a tool like Report Remove
YPBCM1: because not every young person has a support
YPBCM1: system like their family or even trusted
YPBCM1: teachers at school to confide in them about these
YPBCM1: sort of things. I think there's a lot of fear
YPBCM1: in general about these situations being forced to
YPBCM1: go to the police and a
YPBCM1: massive deal being made out of a situation
YPBCM1: that a young person probably already regrets and,
YPBCM1: like, isn't very happy about in
YPBCM1: the first place.
YPBCM1: So I think the fact that Report Remove is
YPBCM1: confidential and is easily accessible for
YPBCM1: so many young people is absolutely amazing and
YPBCM1: incredibly important.
YPBCM2: The fear of judgement around
YPBCM2: sexual images for young people is a massive
YPBCM2: problem that can cause lots of mental health
YPBCM2: problems among young people.
YPBCM2: And I think that this is why this service is so
YPBCM2: important. And I also think it's really
YPBCM2: important that it's linked to Childline so
YPBCM2: that young people then also know that if they
YPBCM2: need further support or if they want to talk
YPBCM2: about it, they can then easily access that
YPBCM2: service afterwards as well.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: There
CHLOE O'CONNOR: are lots of reasons why children and
CHLOE O'CONNOR: young people might share nudes, but it
CHLOE O'CONNOR: can be incredibly distressing for young
CHLOE O'CONNOR: people when they lose control of a nude
CHLOE O'CONNOR: image that's been shared online.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: It can leave them at risk of further
CHLOE O'CONNOR: abuse or exploitation, including
CHLOE O'CONNOR: financially or for further images.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Young people can feel revictimised every
CHLOE O'CONNOR: time an image or video of them is shared,
CHLOE O'CONNOR: and the IWF are continuously seeing an
CHLOE O'CONNOR: increase in self-generated child sexual
CHLOE O'CONNOR: abuse material.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: To address this issue, the NSPCC
CHLOE O'CONNOR: partnered with the Internet Watch Foundation,
CHLOE O'CONNOR: or IWF, to find a way to support those
CHLOE O'CONNOR: young people to report nude and sexual
CHLOE O'CONNOR: images and videos of themselves to see if
CHLOE O'CONNOR: they could be removed from the internet. With
CHLOE O'CONNOR: support from age verification platform Yoti,
CHLOE O'CONNOR: the first version of Report Remove was
CHLOE O'CONNOR: developed in 2017, and then since then
CHLOE O'CONNOR: the organisations have been working with
CHLOE O'CONNOR: each other and with children and young
CHLOE O'CONNOR: people to improve the tool and to make
CHLOE O'CONNOR: sure that young people know about it.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: So to make a report, children need to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: follow three steps.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: The first is follow the instructions to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: confirm their age. If they're 13 to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: 17, they'll be asked if they'd like to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: prove their age using Yoti and using a
CHLOE O'CONNOR: form of ID to help with that.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: And then step two, they'll log in or
CHLOE O'CONNOR: create a Childline account so that they
CHLOE O'CONNOR: can receive updates on their report.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: And then step three: report and remove.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: They share the image or video or a link
CHLOE O'CONNOR: to it securely with the IWF, who will
CHLOE O'CONNOR: then view and work to have it removed if
CHLOE O'CONNOR: it breaks the law.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Childline will let the young person know
CHLOE O'CONNOR: the outcome of their report and provide
CHLOE O'CONNOR: further support where needed.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: In this episode we'll be joined by Zara
CHLOE O'CONNOR: at the IWF and Sam from Childline's
CHLOE O'CONNOR: online service team to talk about how
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Report Remove works and how professionals
CHLOE O'CONNOR: can support young people to use it.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: I'll now pass over to them to introduce
CHLOE O'CONNOR: themselves.
ZARA: Hi, I'm Zara and I'm a senior analyst at the
ZARA: Internet Watch Foundation.
ZARA: The Internet Watch Foundation is an independent
ZARA: charity based in the UK.
ZARA: We work to make the Internet a safer place.
ZARA: We identify and remove online images and videos
ZARA: of child sexual abuse worldwide.
ZARA: We also run a hotline which offers a safe place for
ZARA: the public to report to us anonymously.
ZARA: The hotline consists of a team of 16 expert
ZARA: analysts who spend their working week assessing
ZARA: and disrupting the sharing of child sexual abuse
ZARA: material online.
SAM FIRTH: My name's Sam and I'm a website supervisor
SAM FIRTH: with the Childline online service.
SAM FIRTH: Childline is a service for children and young
SAM FIRTH: people under the age of 19 in the UK.
SAM FIRTH: I think it's most well known for its Childline
SAM FIRTH: counsellors and the support it can offer over
SAM FIRTH: the telephone. But also young people can make
SAM FIRTH: an account on the website.
SAM FIRTH: The website itself has a wealth of information
SAM FIRTH: and tips and advice on a whole range of
SAM FIRTH: subjects and topics.
SAM FIRTH: It also hosts the Report Remove tool.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Brilliant. Thank you very much.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: So it would be really good to hear more
CHLOE O'CONNOR: about Report Remove and why it's needed.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: But taking a step back first, because
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Report Remove is there to support young
CHLOE O'CONNOR: people who have had a nude image shared
CHLOE O'CONNOR: online: what should professionals do and
CHLOE O'CONNOR: how can professionals who work with
CHLOE O'CONNOR: children approach an incident of nude
CHLOE O'CONNOR: image sharing?
SAM FIRTH: I think the primary things to remember is to
SAM FIRTH: not look at the image yourself and to follow
SAM FIRTH: any safeguarding policies that your
SAM FIRTH: organisation may have.
SAM FIRTH: In terms of interacting with that child or
SAM FIRTH: young person that has come to you with this
SAM FIRTH: problem, it's really important to stay calm,
SAM FIRTH: remain non-judgemental, and accept the
SAM FIRTH: situation for what it is.
SAM FIRTH: So it may well be that this young person is
SAM FIRTH: experiencing a sense of regret and is aware of
SAM FIRTH: the risks they might be now facing.
SAM FIRTH: So there's no need for telling off or attempts
SAM FIRTH: to educate them on the risks because that's
SAM FIRTH: already happening for them.
ZARA: I'd just like to add that it's important to
ZARA: remember that the creating and sharing of nudes of
ZARA: under 18 is illegal.
ZARA: However, the law is there to protect children.
ZARA: So it's important to reassure that young person
ZARA: that they're not in any trouble and just to use
ZARA: supportive language and that there is a tool out
ZARA: there to help them remove the content
ZARA: online and the law is there
ZARA: to support them.
SAM FIRTH: One option is to tell that child
SAM FIRTH: or young person about Report Remove.
SAM FIRTH: And if you've got access to the internet there
SAM FIRTH: and then it'd be really handy if you could
SAM FIRTH: show them the tool on the website by searching
SAM FIRTH: for the URL: childline.org.uk/remove.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: So why is the Report Remove tool needed
CHLOE O'CONNOR: and why might a young person have shared
CHLOE O'CONNOR: nude images online?
SAM FIRTH: It's a normal and expected and healthy part of
SAM FIRTH: child development to want to understand the
SAM FIRTH: changing body. And then when we couple that
SAM FIRTH: with access to the internet, many children and
SAM FIRTH: young people have a phone with a camera with
SAM FIRTH: that internet access.
SAM FIRTH: Perhaps to an extent, it's almost inevitable
SAM FIRTH: that those two things are going to come
SAM FIRTH: together at times.
SAM FIRTH: There's many reasons why a young person may
SAM FIRTH: share a nude.
SAM FIRTH: They may be sharing their images in a trusting
SAM FIRTH: friendship or a trusting relationship.
SAM FIRTH: It might be an expression of body confidence.
SAM FIRTH: It might feel empowering.
SAM FIRTH: They might be doing it for fun.
SAM FIRTH: There's a darker side too. They might be
SAM FIRTH: sharing nudes because they've been pressured
SAM FIRTH: or they've been coerced or they've been
SAM FIRTH: bullied. But they might change their mind
SAM FIRTH: about what they've done. They may experience
SAM FIRTH: that sense of regret.
SAM FIRTH: It may be that trust has been broken or
SAM FIRTH: they're concerned that that trust might get
SAM FIRTH: broken. Or when they've initially shared
SAM FIRTH: a nude to try and prevent further requests,
SAM FIRTH: further pressure, it hasn't worked, and
SAM FIRTH: that's when they feel they need something to
SAM FIRTH: happen, something to change, so they can take
SAM FIRTH: some control back of the image that they've
SAM FIRTH: lost. That's where Report Remove can offer a
SAM FIRTH: solution and can offer safeguarding.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Thank you, Sam. So, Zara, you spoke at
CHLOE O'CONNOR: the beginning about how the IWF can
CHLOE O'CONNOR: identify this kind of content and take it
CHLOE O'CONNOR: down. Why is there a need specifically
CHLOE O'CONNOR: for a service like Report Remove?
ZARA: Over the years we've seen a growth in the sharing
ZARA: of nude images online of under-18s,
ZARA: so we thought it'd be a good idea to provide a
ZARA: service that not only helps young people
ZARA: access support when things go wrong,
ZARA: but also to be able to use
ZARA: our expertise and our contacts within
ZARA: the internet industry to block these images
ZARA: and stop them from being shared online.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Who is Report Remove for?
SAM FIRTH: Report Remove is for children and young people
SAM FIRTH: in the UK who are under the age of 18.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: And if a young person wanted to use the
CHLOE O'CONNOR: tool — they've looked for it online and
CHLOE O'CONNOR: they've found the tool — what would they
CHLOE O'CONNOR: then need to do?
SAM FIRTH: So once they get onto the Report Remove page
SAM FIRTH: on the Childline website, from there they
SAM FIRTH: create or sign into a Childline
SAM FIRTH: account. Then they have the option of proving
SAM FIRTH: their age with I.D. such as a passport.
SAM FIRTH: Once they've gone through that stage of the
SAM FIRTH: reporting process, they need to attach the
SAM FIRTH: image, the video or the direct URL for the
SAM FIRTH: image or video to the report, and that will go
SAM FIRTH: to IWF who will begin their work with it.
SAM FIRTH: Childline never ever see the image or video,
SAM FIRTH: but we will make contact with that child or
SAM FIRTH: young person to keep them updated with how the
SAM FIRTH: report is going and offer them other forms of
SAM FIRTH: support as well.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Why are young people asked if they'd like
CHLOE O'CONNOR: to prove their age?
ZARA: So children under 13 are not asked to prove
ZARA: their age. That's because our analysts have the
ZARA: visual expertise to assess that person in the image
ZARA: is underage.
ZARA: However, young people over the age of 13 are asked
ZARA: to choose to prove their age using I.D.,
ZARA: because that means the IWF can be certain that
ZARA: the image of the person is under 18, and
ZARA: then therefore we can get the image taken down from
ZARA: a lot more places.
ZARA: But if a child does not have I.D., they should
ZARA: still be encouraged to use Report Remove.
ZARA: This is because the IWF will still make an
ZARA: assessment of the age of that person in the image
ZARA: and in many cases will be able to use this
ZARA: assessment to be certain that it is a child.
ZARA: If IWF can't be certain that the content is of a
ZARA: child, then we can still ask tech companies
ZARA: to take it down.
ZARA: This means that the content can still be removed
ZARA: from lots of places and the young person can still
ZARA: choose to access emotional support from Childline.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: From the IWF's perspective, what happens
CHLOE O'CONNOR: at the point that a young person's made a
CHLOE O'CONNOR: report?
ZARA: So as Sam said, the young person will create
ZARA: an account. So once they've created their account,
ZARA: they'll be directed to the secure IWF portal
ZARA: to upload their content.
ZARA: After the report has been made, the person will
ZARA: receive a case number into their locker and
ZARA: they can refer back to this if they have any more
ZARA: communications to make about their report.
ZARA: So apart from selecting their age range, the
ZARA: only information the portal gives to IWF
ZARA: are their images and videos or URLs and
ZARA: these are, like I said, uploaded via a secure
ZARA: portal, so only the analysts here will see their
ZARA: content. Unfortunately, IWF cannot
ZARA: view content on end-to-end encrypted apps or
ZARA: websites such as WhatsApp and Snapchat, or
ZARA: content that's saved on another person's device.
ZARA: But if the young person still has the image,
ZARA: they should be encouraged that they can still make
ZARA: a report and upload those images to us,
ZARA: and then we will make sure that it's assessed
ZARA: against UK law.
ZARA: And if it's found to be criminal, we will get
ZARA: that removed as quickly as possible.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: And what did the IWF do to make sure that
CHLOE O'CONNOR: it does get removed?
ZARA: So we will use the law to work out if the content
ZARA: can be removed and if it breaks the law IWF
ZARA: will give it a digital fingerprint called a hash.
ZARA: So IWF can either send a takedown
ZARA: notice to a website or internet service provider
ZARA: if it's a URL, or it'll be blocked automatically
ZARA: depending on the way the hash was found.
ZARA: We share our hash lists with internet companies,
ZARA: including major social media platforms, so
ZARA: if an image— if that image is uploaded to
ZARA: the internet, again, it can be quickly removed
ZARA: or even stopped from being uploaded in the first
ZARA: place.
ZARA: IWF will let Childline know the outcome
ZARA: so they can contact the young person and let
ZARA: them know the outcome of their report and keep them
ZARA: updated and offer them further support.
ZARA: IWF try to review each Report Remove
ZARA: report within one working day and updates
ZARA: are sent to the locker on that day.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: That's really helpful. Thank you.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: And what happens if the image has been
CHLOE O'CONNOR: changed slightly? For example, if
CHLOE O'CONNOR: somebody has got a cropped part of the
CHLOE O'CONNOR: image?
ZARA: The technology that we use, it doesn't
ZARA: matter if the image has been
ZARA: doctored or in any way or cropped, as you say,
ZARA: we'll still be able to identify that image using
ZARA: the hash that we give it.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: That sounds really important.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Do we know anything about how young
CHLOE O'CONNOR: people have responded to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Report Remove and if it has made a difference
CHLOE O'CONNOR: to them?
SAM FIRTH: So I can give you an example of
SAM FIRTH: a 15-year-old male who's used Report Remove.
SAM FIRTH: So this person reported a number of images and
SAM FIRTH: videos, a mixture of images and videos.
SAM FIRTH: IWF assessed them all to
SAM FIRTH: be child sexual abuse material and therefore
SAM FIRTH: meeting the threshold to be removed from the
SAM FIRTH: internet. So then, as Childline,
SAM FIRTH: we were able to feed that back to the young
SAM FIRTH: person and offer some emotional support via
SAM FIRTH: the counselling team -- which they took that
SAM FIRTH: up and they were supported by our Childline
SAM FIRTH: counsellors for a period of about three
SAM FIRTH: months. They explained to our counsellors that
SAM FIRTH: the images and videos were sent to a female
SAM FIRTH: young person in trust.
SAM FIRTH: But then having been in school and reflecting
SAM FIRTH: on those general messages about online safety
SAM FIRTH: and nudes, they recognised their vulnerability
SAM FIRTH: and started to become a bit concerned about
SAM FIRTH: how that material might affect them in the
SAM FIRTH: future. And they told that Childline
SAM FIRTH: counsellor that they spoke to about the sense
SAM FIRTH: of relief that they had when those images
SAM FIRTH: and videos were removed and
SAM FIRTH: offering them future safeguarding as well.
SAM FIRTH: And actually after making their Report Remove
SAM FIRTH: report, that same young person got in touch
SAM FIRTH: with the platforms they shared those images
SAM FIRTH: and videos on and asked that platform provider
SAM FIRTH: to remove all other data as well, which the
SAM FIRTH: platform agreed to do.
SAM FIRTH: Yeah, so any sense of regret and anxiety,
SAM FIRTH: and also a feeling of 'life was over' that
SAM FIRTH: that young person was feeling; they were
SAM FIRTH: feeling now more reassured, more relieved.
SAM FIRTH: So Report Remove was really powerful for that
SAM FIRTH: young person.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Thank you for that example of the
CHLOE O'CONNOR: positive impact that the Report Remove
CHLOE O'CONNOR: tool can have Sam. Zara, you mentioned
CHLOE O'CONNOR: earlier that you'd be assessing the
CHLOE O'CONNOR: content against UK law to see if it could
CHLOE O'CONNOR: be taken down. What happens if you aren't
CHLOE O'CONNOR: able to take the content down?
ZARA: We will tell Childline the outcome
ZARA: of our assessment and if it doesn't meet
ZARA: our criteria of breaking the law, then
ZARA: we will let Childline know why it
ZARA: doesn't quite meet our threshold and then they can
ZARA: convey that to the child and offer support in
ZARA: other ways.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Great, thank you. And then Sam, what does
CHLOE O'CONNOR: that look like from a Childline perspective
CHLOE O'CONNOR: when you're sending that message to that
CHLOE O'CONNOR: young person to let them know it couldn't
CHLOE O'CONNOR: be taken down?
SAM FIRTH: So I try to give them as much information as I
SAM FIRTH: can and explain why it didn't quite meet the
SAM FIRTH: threshold, because it may be that the image
SAM FIRTH: felt nude to them, or there may be nudity in
SAM FIRTH: it, but it still doesn't quite meet that
SAM FIRTH: threshold for removal. So, I explain that
SAM FIRTH: situation to them.
SAM FIRTH: I also give them the options that might be
SAM FIRTH: available to them to take other actions which
SAM FIRTH: may involve going direct to platforms where
SAM FIRTH: they know the image might be and request for
SAM FIRTH: it to be taken down from— using their
SAM FIRTH: community rules.
SAM FIRTH: But we also offer them emotional support too.
SAM FIRTH: That can be through our counsellors or it can
SAM FIRTH: be through self-help tools like the coping
SAM FIRTH: kit. We also have a Calm Zone on the Childline
SAM FIRTH: website, which is really useful too, and it's
SAM FIRTH: very popular.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: That all sounds like really helpful wider
CHLOE O'CONNOR: support for young people.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Is that something that young people need
CHLOE O'CONNOR: to engage with to use Report Remove?
CHLOE O'CONNOR: For example would a young person need to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: speak to a counsellor if they wanted to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: report content?
SAM FIRTH: No there's no need to engage with any other
SAM FIRTH: part of Childline. They can use Report Remove
SAM FIRTH: and that be it, and that be all they use from
SAM FIRTH: Childline. But if they do want that bit extra,
SAM FIRTH: there's lots of options available to them and
SAM FIRTH: they can pick and choose what feels right for
SAM FIRTH: them, what suits them as an individual, what
SAM FIRTH: fits in with how they like
SAM FIRTH: to communicate and be supported.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Brilliant. So, if a young person is choosing
CHLOE O'CONNOR: to engage in that extra support or they
CHLOE O'CONNOR: have just used Report Remove — either way
CHLOE O'CONNOR: — is there a chance that anybody else
CHLOE O'CONNOR: would find out that that young person has
CHLOE O'CONNOR: spoken to Childline or has used Report
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Remove?
SAM FIRTH: Childline has a really high confidentiality
SAM FIRTH: threshold. You can have a look at the
SAM FIRTH: confidentiality promise on the website.
SAM FIRTH: It's beyond that of most of the services that
SAM FIRTH: work with the same age group and that same
SAM FIRTH: confidentiality promise that we offer through
SAM FIRTH: all our work applies to Report Remove as well.
SAM FIRTH: And it means we can keep so much more
SAM FIRTH: information private.
SAM FIRTH: It's only in very, very rare circumstances
SAM FIRTH: that someone who has used Report Remove would
SAM FIRTH: have any information passed on to someone
SAM FIRTH: else, should any further safeguarding be
SAM FIRTH: required. And we would always try to
SAM FIRTH: make sure the young person or the child is
SAM FIRTH: aware that we're having to do that and why.
SAM FIRTH: But again, it's in very, very rare
SAM FIRTH: circumstances.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Zara, are you able to just talk a little
CHLOE O'CONNOR: bit more to confidentiality on the IWF
CHLOE O'CONNOR: side. I know you said before that IWF
CHLOE O'CONNOR: staff would never know who the young
CHLOE O'CONNOR: person is, they'd only see the confirmation
CHLOE O'CONNOR: that they're under 18 and receive the
CHLOE O'CONNOR: images, but in terms of making sure that
CHLOE O'CONNOR: it's being taken down, how do the IWF
CHLOE O'CONNOR: ensure that that stays confidential?
ZARA: So IWF analysts will view the content
ZARA: and assess whether it breaks the law in the UK.
ZARA: Only hashes are sent out to industry
ZARA: and our members to block the content.
ZARA: No one else will will see the images.
ZARA: So
ZARA: we use our bespoke hashing tool called
ZARA: 'Intelligrade', which was built in-house at
ZARA: Internet Watch Foundation, and we will tag
ZARA: these Report Remove images with a special tag
ZARA: to show that it's been self-reported.
ZARA: This will go out to industry
ZARA: as a 'self-reported image', so therefore
ZARA: when these hashes are shared with law enforcement,
ZARA: they know that it's been self-reported and
ZARA: therefore that person should not fear a
ZARA: knock on their door that they've been sharing child
ZARA: sexual abuse imagery.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: The hashes is what's shared with industry
CHLOE O'CONNOR: members — the image itself is never
CHLOE O'CONNOR: shared.
ZARA: That's right. It's just the hash.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Brilliant. Thank you. So that
CHLOE O'CONNOR: also means that the risk of the police
CHLOE O'CONNOR: getting involved, is that restricted to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: only if it's needed as part of a
CHLOE O'CONNOR: safeguarding response?
ZARA: Yes. If we spot any
ZARA: potential safeguarding issues, we can relay that
ZARA: to Childline, who will do their own risk
ZARA: assessment.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: And how can young people find Report
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Remove?
SAM FIRTH: So Report Remove is available on the Childline
SAM FIRTH: website using the URL childline.org.uk/remove.
SAM FIRTH: You can also search Report Remove Childline on
SAM FIRTH: Google and it should appear top of the search.
SAM FIRTH: Professionals and parents can also visit
SAM FIRTH: nspcc.org.uk/report-remove
SAM FIRTH: to learn more about the tool from an adult's
SAM FIRTH: perspective.
SAM FIRTH: We're encouraging professionals, such
SAM FIRTH: as teachers for example, to become aware of
SAM FIRTH: the tool so that they can support young people
SAM FIRTH: who might approach them.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Is there anything out there that can help
CHLOE O'CONNOR: professionals tell young people about
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Report Remove and how to use it?
SAM FIRTH: So the NSPCC has an online elearning
SAM FIRTH: course that professionals can access to find
SAM FIRTH: out more about the subject of managing
SAM FIRTH: incidents of sharing nudes and how to support
SAM FIRTH: young people.
SAM FIRTH: There's also some printouts
SAM FIRTH: that are aimed at professionals that work with
SAM FIRTH: young people, again, accessible from NSPCC
SAM FIRTH: Learning. We've also got some videos
SAM FIRTH: which can be accessed from the NSPCC
SAM FIRTH: website or the Childline website, just to find
SAM FIRTH: out a bit more. And again, professionals can
SAM FIRTH: look at the Report Remove tool on the website
SAM FIRTH: just to become familiar with it, find out
SAM FIRTH: where it is, what it looks like, and just
SAM FIRTH: become more confident that there is a tool out
SAM FIRTH: there to support the young people they work
SAM FIRTH: with.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Thank you. That's really helpful because
CHLOE O'CONNOR: I can imagine it can be quite challenging
CHLOE O'CONNOR: to have that kind of conversation with
CHLOE O'CONNOR: young people, especially if you're talking
CHLOE O'CONNOR: to a large group of young people about
CHLOE O'CONNOR: something that's potentially sensitive.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: So that's useful that the video is there
CHLOE O'CONNOR: to, sort of, do the talking for them and
CHLOE O'CONNOR: then give all the extra information
CHLOE O'CONNOR: around it to help answer any questions.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Is there any particular time that's
CHLOE O'CONNOR: important to share information about
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Report Remove, for example when an
CHLOE O'CONNOR: incident has occurred or in general?
SAM FIRTH: I think any time is a good time.
SAM FIRTH: We know that the most common age range
SAM FIRTH: for using Report Remove is at the later
SAM FIRTH: teens, but we do get young people under the
SAM FIRTH: age of 13 using the tool as well.
SAM FIRTH: It's useful to share with young people before
SAM FIRTH: an incident occurs so they are aware of Report
SAM FIRTH: Remove and they know it's there should they
SAM FIRTH: need it, but also should they find themselves
SAM FIRTH: in a situation where they are worried about an
SAM FIRTH: image, to find out about it then is also very
SAM FIRTH: helpful. It's a safeguarding tool, it
SAM FIRTH: can help them either before a situation
SAM FIRTH: occurs or after.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Okay, so if a young person has disclosed
CHLOE O'CONNOR: that a nude image of them has been shared
CHLOE O'CONNOR: online, either to a professional, be it a
CHLOE O'CONNOR: teacher or a coach or anyone like that,
CHLOE O'CONNOR: or even their parent — that a nude image
CHLOE O'CONNOR: has been shared and they would like support
CHLOE O'CONNOR: with that. How can an adult support them
CHLOE O'CONNOR: with Report Remove?
SAM FIRTH: So the adult can show them the Report Remove
SAM FIRTH: tool on the website.
SAM FIRTH: They can maybe show them the videos about the
SAM FIRTH: tool to help that young person build their
SAM FIRTH: confidence. But in terms of making a report,
SAM FIRTH: the young person can do that entirely
SAM FIRTH: independently.
SAM FIRTH: They don't need an adult to give any kind
SAM FIRTH: of permission or anything like that.
SAM FIRTH: Report Remove is completely free to use, so
SAM FIRTH: there should never be any exchange of money
SAM FIRTH: for nudes to be removed from the internet.
SAM FIRTH: A young person doesn't have to pay to use
SAM FIRTH: Report Remove at all.
SAM FIRTH: We've tested the tool in consultation
SAM FIRTH: with children and young people, to make sure
SAM FIRTH: that it's clear, that it's easy to follow and
SAM FIRTH: that it's user friendly, so that it can be
SAM FIRTH: used completely independently by young people.
ZARA: Many young people are using Report Remove, so
ZARA: we know we are providing a valuable service.
ZARA: So we would like you to encourage young people
ZARA: that are worried that their nude images have been
ZARA: shared online, to encourage them to report to us
ZARA: and we will do our best to get those images
ZARA: removed and prevented from being
ZARA: uploaded again in the future.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: Thank you very much. That sounds really
CHLOE O'CONNOR: powerful that young people have a tool
CHLOE O'CONNOR: where they can take action themselves to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: report something that's been happening to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: them and to have an action taken from it,
CHLOE O'CONNOR: to have that content removed.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: And also especially important that it can
CHLOE O'CONNOR: help stop it being shared again in the
CHLOE O'CONNOR: future, like in that example that you
CHLOE O'CONNOR: shared Sam, for that young person, even
CHLOE O'CONNOR: if there wasn't an immediate worry, to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: know that it couldn't be shared online
CHLOE O'CONNOR: again in the future sounds like a really
CHLOE O'CONNOR: reassuring thing for young people.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: So thank you both so much today for
CHLOE O'CONNOR: joining us to talk about Report Remove
CHLOE O'CONNOR: and how it works and how it can support
CHLOE O'CONNOR: young people. If anybody listening to
CHLOE O'CONNOR: this episode would like to find out more
CHLOE O'CONNOR: information, all of the resources that
CHLOE O'CONNOR: we've mentioned today, so those videos
CHLOE O'CONNOR: and the printouts and the wider information,
CHLOE O'CONNOR: can be seen in the show notes from
CHLOE O'CONNOR: today's episode.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: The Report Remove tool itself is
CHLOE O'CONNOR: available on the Childline website at
CHLOE O'CONNOR: childline.org.uk/remove.
CHLOE O'CONNOR: NSPCC Learning also offers an elearning
CHLOE O'CONNOR: course on managing incidents of sharing
CHLOE O'CONNOR: nudes. So thank you very much
CHLOE O'CONNOR: for your time today.
SAM FIRTH: Thank you.
ZARA: Thank you very much.
OUTRO: Thanks for listening to this NSPCC Learning
OUTRO: podcast.
OUTRO: At the time of recording this episode, content
OUTRO: wasn't today, but the world of safeguarding and
OUTRO: child protection is ever changing.
OUTRO: So if you're looking for the most current
OUTRO: safeguarding and child protection, training,
OUTRO: information or resources, please visit
OUTRO: our website for professionals at NSPCC.
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