Reach Out First — before anything happens.
Reaching out to a specialist helpline is the single most protective thing anyone can do — for children, and for yourself. These services exist because stopping harm before it happens works.
We do not log who visits it. The helplines below are confidential and anonymous — they are set up specifically so that people can talk before anything is done, or after, without automatically being reported to the police. UK evaluations of Stop It Now! show that the majority of callers stop the behaviour they were worried about. Silence is what protects offending. This page is what breaks it.
Five steps, starting right now
- Step 1: Stop and put the device down
Close the tab, log out, hand the phone to someone else or lock it in another room. Breaking contact with the screen for even ten minutes is the single most effective thing you can do in this moment.
- Step 2: Name what is happening, without excuses
Say it plainly to yourself: what did I look at, search for, or say, and to whom. Minimising it ("it was only chat", "they seemed older") is what keeps the behaviour going. Honesty with yourself comes before honesty with anyone else.
- Step 3: Call the confidential helpline today
Stop It Now UK & Ireland on 0808 1000 900 is anonymous and free. You do not have to give your name. They talk to thousands of people in exactly your position every year, and their job is to stop harm before there is a victim — not to catch you.
- Step 4: Put barriers between you and the behaviour
Install blocking or accountability software, remove the apps you use to contact young people, give a trusted adult your passwords, and use devices only in shared rooms. Willpower alone fails; friction works.
- Step 5: Start structured treatment and keep going
Helplines are the door, not the room. Ask about the Lucy Faithfull Foundation's programmes, an NHS referral through your GP, or the services listed on OWL's rehabilitation page. Change is measured in months of consistent work, and it does happen.
Open OWL's rehabilitation guide
Meet Hedd the Heron
Little OWL keeps watch for children. Hedd is for adults and young people worried about their own thoughts or behaviour. A heron stands completely still before it moves — it does not panic, and it does not act on the first impulse. That pause is the whole point.
Hedd's rule: stop, stand still, and tell a confidential line before you do anything else.
Having thoughts is not a crime. Acting on them is. Asking for help is confidential, and it is what stops a child being harmed.
UK helplines
Adults worried about their own online sexual behaviour, or worried about another adult.
Anonymous. Free from any UK phone. Trained specialists, no judgement, no automatic report unless a specific child is in immediate danger.
Anonymous space for under-18s worried about their own sexual thoughts or behaviour towards other young people.
Chat and self-help. Run by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.
Self-help modules on stopping viewing illegal images, understanding urges, and rebuilding.
Free, evidence-based. Used by thousands who never re-offended.
If any of this makes you feel you can't go on. Any reason, any time.
Free, 24/7.
For anyone (any age, any gender) who has been raped, sexually assaulted, or abused — recently or years ago.
24/7 free helpline and live chat. Trained specialists. You are believed.
If a partner, ex, or family member is controlling, hurting, or threatening you — physically, sexually, financially, or online.
Run by Refuge. Free, 24/7, confidential. Safety planning even if you're not ready to leave.
For anyone worried they are being abusive or controlling towards a partner and wants to stop.
Confidential UK helpline for perpetrators who want to change. No judgement, no automatic report.
Get help now
Answer 3 short questions and we'll point you at the UK helpline best matched to your situation. Nothing you type here leaves this device — no accounts, no logs, no cookies.
What happens when you call
You are still allowed to call Stop It Now. Lucy Faithfull Foundation also run family support lines for partners, parents and siblings who are dealing with the aftermath — you are not alone with it.
What this site keeps on your device
The 'Get help now' form above stores nothing. There is no account, no tracking cookie, and nothing you type on that form leaves this device.
'Get help now' form: your answers stay in your browser only while you're on the page. When you close the tab they're gone.
- owl:site-lang— Language choice (English / Cymraeg)
- owl.ageTier— Age mode (under 8 / tween / teen / adult)
- owl.adultConfirmed— 18+ confirmation for Market Watch
- owl.theme— Dark or light mode preference
- owl.parallax.intensity— Background motion intensity
- owl:kids-progress:v2— Kids Zone activity badges and private journal notes (on this device only)
- owl:tactics-plan:v2— Bookmarked grooming-tactics on /tactics
- owl:library-bookmarks:v1— Bookmarked items in the Professionals library
Or clear it manually: open your browser settings → Privacy → 'Clear site data' for this site.