Childline is stepping up a campaign to educate teenagers and their parents about the dangers of sexting after a rise in the number of calls about the issue.

The charity said sexting was the most viewed topic on its website last year and counsellors dealt with 2634 calls on the topic.

The Zipit app, which was designed to help teenagers refuse requests for sexual images of themselves has now been updated to include images and GIFs that they can send to deflect requests with humour.

Almost half of parents were unaware that it was illegal for a child to take nude pictures of themselves, so Childline has also teamed up with the NSPCC to educate them.

Matt Forde, head of NSPCC Scotland, said: "Many young people tell Childline that they feel pressured into sending sexual images of themselves and they don't alway have the confidence to say no.

"Once a teenager sends an image of themselves they have no control overs where it is shared or who sees it.

"This can lead to a child feeling humiliated and even lead to them being bullied or blackmailed."

Childline founder Dame Esther Rantzen said: "The online world is full of opportunities for young people but also presents dangers.

"Senior police tell me that sexting has become normalised for far too many young people and can sometimes result in the, being abused or bullied.

"Many parents have told me they feel helpless when they try to protect their children against these dangerous pressures so I'd encourage families to take a look at Zipit and share it with people they know."