Max’s Story
Names and other details have been changed to protect identities.
Like all my mates at 14, I loved playing games online and was really obsessed with some games. When playing the games I sometimes needed to buy credits to get onto the next stage, but I couldn’t afford them.
I started chatting to other people online and was getting on really well with a female. We chatted for months and after a while she convinced me to send indecent pictures of myself to her in exchange for game credits.
I later found out that I was being groomed by a male, pretending to be the female I’d been talking to. I was so worried about people finding out and thinking I was gay that I started cutting myself and self-harming, I even thought about committing suicide.
I now understand that I was being taken advantage of and what happened wasn’t my fault. I don’t go online as much anymore and I’m working hard at school.
Max and his family received support and help with what happened and how to recognise potential signs in the future. Max has also learnt how to deal with difficult situations like this if it did ever happen again.
