Sharing nude or sexual photos/videos is a violation of Instagram’s Community Guidelines, so the simplest answer you can give someone is, “No. It’s not allowed on Instagram.”

But beyond Instagram, it’s important to think about how it would impact you if nude or sexual photos or videos of yourself got out of your control. This can happen the instant someone shares a photo or video. Sometimes people make mistakes, play stupid jokes or act in anger and share things they shouldn’t.

If you’re under the age of 18, it’s especially important for you to know that sharing nude or sexually explicit images of minors, whether on the web, mobile phones, by mail or any other way, is illegal in most countries and could have serious legal and life-changing consequences for both the creator of the images and anyone who requests them.

If someone you care about asks you to share a nude photo/video or leave Instagram for a private web chat and you don’t want to, tell the person that it makes you feel uncomfortable. If this person really cares about you, they will understand.

If anyone tries to threaten or intimidate you into sharing photos/video, just refuse. If it continues, tell someone you trust or contact the police. You may also want to block the person on Instagram and report them.

Also remember that when you allow someone to follow you, they may see personal information you've shared on Instagram (like your personal website URL, pictures, videos or who follows you). The best way to stay safe is to only accept followers that you know well outside of Instagram.