YOUNGSTERS at a York school were sent sexually explicit images on Instagram - sparking a warning to parents to check their children’s social media accounts.
Head teachers at schools across the city put parents on alert and told them to check their children’s security settings after at least six pupils said they had been sent inappropriate content.
A letter sent out by one head teacher at a school in York read: “Our school have had some incredibly brave children who have been able to reach out and tell us that someone has been sending them explicit and inappropriate material to their Instagram account.
“The parents of these children have been incredibly supportive and together we have worked with the police to try and put a stop to it.”
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said the force was aware of “numerous incidents” where children have been contacted online and they are urging parents and guardians to check their children’s devices.
He added: “At the moment we believe only Instagram is being targeted, however this is not to say it is the only social media source being used.
“If you believe your child has fallen victim to this type of crime, please do not hesitate to report it to North Yorkshire Police on 101.”
Maxine Squire, assistant director of education at City of York Council, said: “We and all York schools continue to encourage parents to ensure appropriate online access for children and young people.
“Social media hacking is a growing risk and exposure to it can be extremely distressing.”
A spokeswoman for Instagram said: “We have zero tolerance for child exploitation on Instagram. When detected, we immediately take down the offending content and alert the police.
"We’ve spent the past decade working with safety experts including the IWF, CEOP and the UK Safer Internet Centre to develop powerful tools to combat this kind of activity and we have a global team responding around the clock to reports from the community."
Both the council and police recommend parents keep up to date with the latest guidance for keeping their children safe online by visiting https://www.getsafeonline.org/ and http://parentinfo.org/
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