Free App Helps Teens Tackle Unwanted Requests For Sexual Images Of Themselves

A new anti-sexting app from Childline is using humour to help teenagers deal with unwanted requests for sexual images of themselves. The free Zipit app launched today offers young people a gallery of images and animations called GIFs they can send in response to requests for sexual pictures and to deal with difficult sexting situations. Young people can visit https://giphy.com/zipit/ for GIFs they can send in response to requests for sexual pictures and messages.

The new app from Zipit is free and available to download for Android and Apple smartphones.

Childline is also available on freephone 0800 1111 24/7 or at childline.org.uk for counselling chat, emails or message boards.

The Zipit app can be downloaded from Google play or from the Apple Store

New figures reveal the NSPCC service held 2,634 counselling sessions about sexting and self-generated explicit images in the past year. Sexting was also the most viewed topic on the Childline website last year with 221,840 page views.

What you need to know about sexting:

• once you send a message you can't control what happens to it
• don't let someone guilt or pressure you into sending a sex text
• if you've sent a nude pic, have an honest conversation with the person you sent it to. Ask them to delete it
• if an indecent or nude pic of you is posted online, you can contact the website directly or make a report online to try and get it removed.

What Does Zipit Do?

• If someone's trying to get you to send them naked images of yourself, use the images on Zipit to keep the situation in control.
• Zipit helps you get flirty chat back on the right track.
• It's packed with killer comebacks and top tips to help you stay in control of your chat game.
• You can also share images from Zipit through other apps like Whatsapp or Instagram, depending on what kind of phone you have and what apps you have on your phone.

What you can do with Zipit:

• save GIFs and images onto your device and share with friends
• share GIFs and images on Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp
• share GIFs on apps like Instagram and Snapchat
• get advice to help you flirt without failing
• call Childline, or save the number to your phone.

More information about the app and tips on how to keep yourself safe online can be found at the Childline website