Who are you really talking to?

Who are you really talking to? animated gif

Who are you really talking to?

Many people use Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites to keep in touch with friends and family online. Talking to people online that you know is something that we all do, however people that you don’t know can also use social media to become your “friend”.

You may feel the pressure of having lots of “friends” online, however it’s easy for someone to pretend to be someone else on the internet and you could end up having conversations on social media, with people who aren’t who they say they are.

Being online makes it easy for people to lie and pretend to be someone else. Some people use social media to make contact with children and young people with the intention of “grooming” them. They might attempt to gain your trust by using a fake profile picture and by pretending to be the same age as you or have similar interests.

People who try to groom children and young people want you to believe their lies so that they can get information about you:

  • your age
  • where you live
  • who else might use the computer that you use or
  • who else has access to your mobile phone

Once they have lots of information about you and have got your trust and friendship, they often move conversations towards sexual experiences and interests, even asking you to send sexual photographs or videos of yourself.

Some might move towards wanting to meet up, others might try to blackmail you by threatening to share any images /pictures or videos you might have sent them already with your friends and family, if you don’t carry on doing what they ask you to do.

Online grooming can take place via chat rooms, instant messaging (IM), social networking sites and email and can involve you being asked to:

  • Chat about sex online
  • Do sexual things on webcam
  • Share naked or sexual pictures of yourself
  • Look at, or watch pictures or videos of others doing sexual things
  • Look at online pornography
  • Watch the person you are speaking with do sexual things, such as exposing themselves
  • Meet up face to face with the person you have been speaking to online

 

Kayleigh’s Love Story

Kayleigh's Love Story is a film about aspects of the last 13 days of the life of 15-year-old Kayleigh Haywood.

The Leicestershire schoolgirl was groomed online by Luke Harlow, a man she had never met, before being raped and murdered by his next door neighbour Stephen Beadman.

The film has been made to serve as a warning to children and adults of the dangers of grooming and sexual exploitation following Kayleigh’s tragic death in November 2015.

Read more on Leicestershire Police's website https://leics.police.uk/categories/kayleighs-love-story-film

 

Campaign Posters

Campaign Poster (Male)

(Poster shows male looking at tablet screen, showing what he thinks is a young female friend - alongside the female is a darkened shadow image of a male perpetrator).

Poster text reads :

Meet me? xx

Who are you really talking to?

People may not always be who they say they are...

If you have any concerns about who you're talking to online, please call the Police non-emergency number 101

Find out more, go to: www.westyorkshire.police.uk/who-r-u-talking-2

Campaign Poster (Female)

(Poster shows female looking at tablet screen, showing what she thinks is a young male friend - alongside the male is a darkened shadow image of a male perpetrator).

Poster text reads :

Meet me? xx

Who are you really talking to?

People may not always be who they say they are...

If you have any concerns about who you're talking to online, please call the Police non-emergency number 101

Find out more, go to: www.westyorkshire.police.uk/who-r-u-talking-2