The dangers of sexting – taking naked images or videos of yourself and then sharing them with others – have been raised by Bathurst police, who are calling on parents to talk to their children about the problem.

Chifley Local Area Command youth liaison officer Senior Constable Matt Holden said while he had previously targeted high school students in his role, he is now also talking to primary school aged kids about sexting.

Senior Constable Holden said there were both legal and moral issues with sexting.

“Sexting can be a crime, depending on the age of the people sexting and whether the pictures would be considered offensive or indecent by a court,” he said.

“It is a crime if you make, send out, or have an offensive picture of someone under the age of 18 – including yourself.”

Senior Constable Holden said it was particularly dangerous exchanging images on the internet, where often impressionable children and teens think they are talking to someone their own age – when the reality can be far more sinister.

“When a paedophile starts grooming someone face to face the child can see who it is, but on the internet the paedophile could be posing as another child,” he said.

“The young person believes they are talking to another child or a teenager, when it could be someone much older. The danger is the anonymity the internet allows.”

Senior Constable Holden said sexting had another ugly side – cyber bullying.

“If the wrong person gets hold of the image, it can become malicious,” he said.

“Bullying used to be face to face – at least the kids would get a break at home – but that’s not the case anymore. If it’s on the internet, it’s everywhere – at school and at home.”

Senior Constable Holden advised parents to talk to their kids, and encourage technology-free time.