The Age of Consent: Stephanie’s Story

When she was 16, Stephanie met a guy online and started chatting to him because they were both into the same bands and the same music, and he was really nice to chat to. He was 19 at the time, and they started trading photos with each other – nothing too serious at first, just smileys or selfies or Snapchats from wherever they were hanging out. Unfortunately though, Chris started asking for some different sorts of photos and he was getting pretty serious about it. He wanted Stephanie to start sending sexual pictures to him which she’d not done before and to be honest she felt really weird doing it but he wouldn’t let up. He said everyone was doing it, it really wasn’t a big deal and if she didn’t then he’d stop talking to her. So, she just… well, she did it in the end, and then the photos appeared online for everyone to see.

This kind of sexual pressure is totally not cool and it’s unacceptable. If you’re thinking “should I send this sexual image?” then DON’T, and if you need advice in your first relationship or if you’re being pressured to send sexual pictures online, tell someone. It’s okay to say no.