"I knew he was married, and he knew I was thirteen, but I kept replying because it felt different to everything else going on in my life,” sighs Frida*, who was struggling to handle bullying at school when she was first contacted on Facebook by a man in his thirties.
“He started telling me he liked me, which was such a nice change to all the abuse I was getting at school. I said I liked him back, but I was confused because I knew he was married. He started asking for photos and I sent some. Then he asked for some explicit photos, and I did that too. He reciprocated too - it went on for years.”
It’s a story that’s all too familiar to experts at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) – and just one example of why the charity supports Britain’s proposed Online Safety Bill.
Ready to join The Flock?
When you join The Flock, you pay it forward. Every paid subscription generates a second for a woman on reduced income, ensuring we remain advertising-free and accessible to all.
Want to support us? Subscribe below for just £4.99 a month and get your first 14 days free. Can’t afford that right now? We'll be reopening our waitlist for paid forward memberships soon, so watch this space.
Got a gift card to redeem? Click here.
Already have an account? Sign in here.