Teenager from Winchester banned from social media after encouraging online self-harm
16-year-old sentenced to 18 months under youth rehabilitation order
A 16-year-old boy from the Winchester district has been banned from using social media platforms without supervision after encouraging others online to self-harm.
He appeared before Southampton Youth Court yesterday (27th April) and was sentenced under an 18-month youth rehabilitation order, having previously pleaded guilty to encouraging or assisting serious self-harm.
The court also sentenced him for making indecent images of children, having been convicted by a jury on 16th March following a one-day trial.
The youth rehabilitation order includes conditions that prohibit the boy from accessing social media platforms unless supervised by an adult or for educational purposes.
He is also banned from using any browser to access the dark web and will be under supervision as part of the order.
The prosecution marks the first instance Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary have prosecuted under the Online Safety Act 2023 for assisting or encouraging self-harm.
Evidence from various devices seized from the boy's home in May 2024 revealed indecent images and his communication encouraging self-harm among children as young as 13.
The devices showed he would urge them to carve his online name into their skin or write his name in blood.
Investigators were unable to determine the exact number of victims due to the cropped nature of the images but estimate at least a dozen were involved.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Watson from the Internet Child Abuse Team commended his team for building a comprehensive case leading to the charges and conviction.
He highlighted the importance of online safety, stating: "Be wary of online predators; they may act like your friend to develop a close relationship but will often do this to obtain private information and intimate images from you."
Emma Hardy, Communications Director at the Internet Watch Foundation, stressed the significance of removing child sexual abuse imagery, noting its psychological impact on survivors: "Each image or video of child sexual abuse is an image or a video of a crime scene... Just knowing that imagery is out there, being seen by strangers, can be a huge psychological burden to survivors."
The IWF encourages individuals to report any child sexual abuse imagery seen online securely and confidentially via their portal.