ROUGHLY one in five teens are involved in sexting, but what they may not be aware of is that they're breaking the law.

This is something TASC solicitor Nick Ware wants to highlight to parents and their children.

"If you are caught possessing, making or distributing an image of a child under 16 in a sexual pose you can be charged with a criminal offence,” Mr Ware said.

"That means they can have a picture of themselves on their own phone and they can still be liable to punishment.

"My understanding is that kids at school think it's quite innocuous, but it's really not.”

Mr Ware said these laws were in place to protect children under the age of 16 from the implications of these photos ending up in the wrong hands.

"The reason for all of this is because this is one of the ways these images get out on to the internet and this is something that predators pursue,” he said.

"That's why it is illegal and why police do act.”

Children also need to be aware that just because they are sending it to someone they presume they can trust, they are now out in the cyber world and it can come back to bite them.

"These images can end up in the wrong hands and are accessed by people who they were not initially intended for,” he said.

"You never ever know what's going to happen in a relationship and you never know who might end up with them and once they're out there, they're out there forever.”

These images can resurface at any time, which can have a negative effect on employment opportunities, social situations and can often lead to bullying.

Mr Ware said children need to be mindful of what they're sending and what they're sharing on social media.

"It comes back to a person's own cyber safety,” he said.

"So making smart choices in relation to what you are putting out there.”