Immediate danger
999 or 911
Call 999 in the UK or 911 in the United States if a child is in immediate danger, or if someone is on their way to meet them. Do not go to the meeting yourself.
Get help
If you are worried, start here.
A rude group chat is a conversation. An adult asking a child for photos, money, or a meeting is a report. You do not have to be sure which one it is before you ask for help.
United Kingdom
0808 800 5000
The NSPCC helpline is there for adults worried about a child. It is free and you can stay anonymous. Childline, for children, is 0800 1111.
To report online sexual abuse of a child, use the CEOP Safety Centre. To report a sexual image of a child that is already on the internet, use the Internet Watch Foundation. Do not send the image to yourself or to anyone else first.
United States
Report online sexual exploitation of a child to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, CyberTipline. If you believe a child is missing, NCMEC's hotline is 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
In the first hour
- Do not message the other person, and do not pretend to be your child.
- Do not copy, forward, or post sexual images. Reporting is enough.
- Write down the app, the username, and what you were told.
- If the police may need the account, do not wipe the phone before you have spoken to them.
- Tell your child they are not in trouble for telling you.