Skip to content.

Helplines insight briefing

Publication date February 2022
Children's experiences of legal but harmful content: Helplines insight briefing

This briefing uses insight from Childline counselling sessions and NSPCC helpline contacts to highlight the experiences of young people who have viewed legal but harmful content online.

There is no official definition for legal but harmful content. The term is used to describe images, words and videos that are legal to create and view but have a high risk of causing physical or psychological damages or injury.

This briefing focuses on pornography and material which promotes or glorifies eating disorders, self-harm and suicide. 

Key themes include:

  • how children become exposed to legal but harmful content online
  • the impact of harmful content on children
  • barriers to speaking out
  • reporting harmful content to online platforms
  • finding support
Children's experiences of legal but harmful content online
Download the briefing (PDF)
"I recently came across this section on Twitter which was all about weight loss and had threads on how to starve yourself. It also had pictures of extreme waists and stuff. This really affected me, to the point that I had to delete the app entirely. Ever since I've been feeling strange about myself and my body."

Girl aged 17, Childline
"My 17-year-old son was sent an inappropriate message on Discord by someone they don't know. This person disclosed how they liked to cut themselves - they then sent pictures of what appeared to be self-harm injuries. My son hasn't been able to get the images out of his head and he's been having trouble sleeping. I'm wondering how best to handle this situation?"

Mother, NSPCC helpline

Citation

NSPCC (2022) Children's experiences of legal but harmful content online. London: NSPCC.

Childline and NSPCC Helpline insight briefings

Our insight briefings use data and insight from Childline counselling sessions and NSPCC Helpline contacts to explore concerns children and young people have raised and how these affect them.

 

See the full series

Related resources and training

Teacher and school pupil looking at computer
Featured

Online safety training

Are you aware of how children use the internet? Take our e-safety training to help you keep the children and young people you work with safe online.

Show me more
A young person using a mobile phone
Featured

Sharing nude images training

Learn what steps you need to take to respond appropriately to incidents of sharing nudes or semi-nudes with our CPD certified elearning course.

View the course
Students on mobile phones
Featured

Online safety and schools

Online safety should form a key part of schools' and colleges' safeguarding and child protection measures. Find out more about policies and procedures, IT safety, teaching resources, social media and supporting parents.

Read more

More about our helplines

Childline
Featured

Childline

Childline is the UK’s free, 24-hour service for children and young people. Run by the NSPCC, Childline gives children and young people up to the age of 19 confidential support with whatever is worrying them. 

Find out more
Statistics
Featured

Childline and NSPCC Helpline statistics

Find out more about the calls and contacts received by our helpline services.

Learn more
NSPCC Helpline
Featured

NSPCC Helpline

The NSPCC Helpline can help with safeguarding situations you could face at work. If you need advice and support, or some simple reassurance on a current safeguarding incident, we're here to help.

Find out more