The Internet Watch Foundation sounded the alarm that younger and younger children are now posting photographs and videos online from their bedrooms and bathrooms ( file picture ) Teachers are to be issued new guidance this week to help children cope with the ‘ unimaginable ’ pressures of the modern digital age , including cyberbullying , sexting and ‘ revenge porn ’ . Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said last night that Personal , Social and Health ( PSHE ) lessons needed to be improved – and placed at the heart of the curriculum – to give young people the tools to cope with these growing demands . Children will also be taught about consensual sex to help vulnerable girls ‘ spot , report and tackle abuse ’ . Mrs Morgan , addressing the Conservative think-tank , Bright Blue , said the new guidance will be published later this week , in conjunction with the PSHE Association . She added : ‘ Let ’ s be clear , the internet and advance of the digital age are things to celebrate and to embrace . ‘ But let us not deny they bring new pressures that require new responses . ‘ The pressures young people face today were unimaginable to my generation. ’ Mrs Morgan highlighted research that showed two in three 11 to 16-year-olds reported having friends who had been bullied online . She said the bullying can take many forms but there were increasing incidents of abuse , sexting and so-called ‘ revenge porn ’ . She added : ‘ The evidence base is still small but in a survey conducted last year , just eight police forces reported 150 allegations relating to revenge porn over a two-year period. ’ Explaining the focus on teaching about sexual consent , Mrs Morgan said : ‘ In this modern world where many young women , and for that matter many young men , are exposed to so many pressures day in and day out , surely we have a duty to make sure they know they can say no and know how to do it . ‘ It does mean telling young people the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship , about when something crosses the line , what they can do about it. ’ Some 82.5 per cent of the images and videos examined featured children and young people aged 16-20 years old , while 17.5 per cent featured those aged 15 and under . ‘ If the revelations of recent weeks have shown us anything it ’ s that the stakes are too high to let our young people leave school without this knowledge . ‘ I don ’ t pretend for one minute that lessons on consent would have been enough to stop the horrific abuse in Rotherham or Oxford . But I will not rest until I know that we have done everything we can to arm young women and particularly the most vulnerable young women with the information they need to spot , report and tackle abuse. ’ Mrs Morgan said she was concerned that children were growing up in a world that places ‘ huge value on style and arguably not always as much value on substance ’ . She added : ‘ The democratisation of communications opens the world up but brought its own pressures too . In research conducted at the start of this year , a third of 11 to 16-year-olds said they felt the pressure to update their social media profiles with pictures or postings that make them look good. ’ It has already been revealed that schools are to teach pupils as young as 11 about rape and consensual sex . Claire Lilley , head of child online safety at the NSPCC , said : 'The truly worrying problem is the number of very young children who are being coerced into providing material which is almost certainly finishing-up in the hands of sex offenders . 'Many of them are primary school age and are being forced to commit acts which are at the most serious end of sexual abuse . It 's apparent some are being 'directed ' to do things they find extremely distressing by strangers sitting at the other end of a webcam who will then no doubt pass on the material . 'This is a horrifying situation for the young victims who will be scared and bewildered by what is happening . To protect them there must be more investment in crime enforcement agencies so they have the manpower and latest technology to prevent this hideous abuse . 'Some older children may be willingly taking part in making sexually explicit videos because it might seem edgy or exciting . But they should be aware they are also likely to have no control over the final destination of such images . They could be shared countless times and remain in existence for many years to come , with consequences they will live to deeply regret . ' Jacqueline Beauchere , chief online safety officer at Microsoft , which sponsored the study , said : 'The data are disturbing and suggest increased attention needs to be brought to this issue . 'For its part , Microsoft will seek to create and deploy appropriate technology , raise awareness and help to educate the public , and continue to partner with organisations like the IWF to ensure strategies and proposed solutions are research-based . ' Any young person concerned about their naked images and videos online can contact ChildLine on 0800 1111 .
Microsoft sounds alarm about younger children online . Study examined almost 4,000 images and videos posted around the world . Shocking photos include children in the UK putting themselves at risk . 82.5 % featured 16-20-year-olds , while 17.5 % included under-16s . Cases included a girl aged around seven exposing herself to webcam .