Primary pupils in Midlothian added to WhatsApp group with 'nude photo requests'
The local authority said the group had not been accessed using council-issued devices given to children at the start of term on Wednesday.Parents were sent a warning to check their children's phones and remove them from the group by the school on Thursday.
An email from the school's head teacher, seen by BBC Scotland News, said some of the messages were "highly inappropriate, referring explicitly to body parts" and "requesting nude photos".It added that 84 people were members of the group, warning it "went beyond" children solely from Paradykes.It is understood some of the children were targeted on their personal devices.A council spokesperson said: "The head teacher at Paradykes Primary emailed P6 parents today after a parent reported concerns about the online safety of children on a WhatsApp group."The head teacher has passed the matter to the police, and the council will issue guidance to all parents in Midlothian on how to keep their child safe online."Support is available to any Paradykes Primary School pupil upset by this incident, if required."
Guidelines issued by WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook parent company Meta, state the messaging service should not be used by those under the age of the 13.It was lowered from 16 last year.Police Scotland said inquiries were ongoing, but were at an early stage.A WhatsApp spokesperson added: "We give all users options to control who can add them to groups. "The first time you receive a message from an unknown number and when you are added to a group, we give you more context and the option to exit or block and report."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
25 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Man arrested after Bournemouth player reports racial abuse at Liverpool match
A 47-year-old man has been arrested after a Bournemouth player reported being racially abused during his team's match against Liverpool on Friday, police have said. A second arrest over racist abuse was made at a separate game on Saturday at the University of Bradford Stadium, Bradford City AFC said. The man from Liverpool was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and has been taken into custody to be interviewed, Merseyside police said. During Friday's fixture, Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused by a spectator, prompting the match referee, Anthony Taylor, to stop play in the 29th minute during the first Premier League fixture of the season. A 47-year-old man was ejected from the stadium. Ch Insp Kev Chatterton, the match commander for the Liverpool v Bournemouth game, previously said: 'Merseyside police will not tolerate hate crime of any form. 'We take incidents like this very seriously, and in cases like this we will be proactively seeking football banning orders, with the club, against those responsible.' He added: 'There is no place for racism and it is vital that anyone who witnesses such an offence reports it to stewards, or the police immediately, so we can take the necessary action like we did this evening. 'As with all matches, we work very closely with both Liverpool and Everton FC to ensure the safety of the public, and the players.' A spokesperson for Liverpool FC said: 'Liverpool Football Club is aware of an allegation of racist abuse made during our Premier League game against Bournemouth. 'We condemn racism and discrimination in all forms; it has no place in society, or football.' The match referee, Anthony Taylor, spoke with the managers Arne Slot and Andoni Iraola after Semenyo reported being abused. On Saturday, Bradford City AFC said West Yorkshire police had made an arrest during a game at the University of Bradford Stadium. The club said: 'Bradford City AFC is aware of an allegation of racist abuse from an individual in the away section towards one of our players during today's Sky Bet League One game against Luton Town. 'Bradford City AFC strongly condemns racism and discrimination in all forms. We have a zero tolerance policy to such unacceptable behaviour.' In an interview, Bradford's manager, Graham Alexander, said there was no place in football for racism, adding: 'We saw it last night at the Liverpool game – it has to be zero tolerance. There's no excuse for it, at all.'
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Why I'm offering £1 to shoppers who report thieves at Iceland
A shopkeeper in Wrexham was told by police earlier this month to take down a sign calling shoplifters 'scumbags' because it could cause offence. The Information Commissioner's Office also reminded retailers that sharing CCTV stills of offenders might breach data protection laws. You really couldn't make it up. I'm not sure when we decided that the feelings of thieves should be protected over the safety of shopworkers and customers, but that's where we've ended up. Law-abiding people are made to feel like they're on trial, while the lawless walk away without consequence. The word 'shoplifting' itself is part of the problem; it makes it sound like a cheeky bit of pilfering. In reality, it's theft, and increasingly violent.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Yvette Cooper defends Palestine Action ban as 60 more faces charges
The home secretary has again defended the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist group, saying it is more than "a regular protest group known for occasional stunts".Writing in the Observer, Yvette Cooper said the group had claimed responsibility for incidents that saw those allegedly involved subsequently charged with a range of crimes, including violent disorder and aggravated added that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had assessed these charges have a "terrorism connection".Her comments come after the Metropolitan Police said on Friday that a further 60 people would be prosecuted for showing support for Palestine Action. More than 700 people have been arrested since the group was banned by the government on 5 July - including more than 500 at a demonstration in central London last Saturday, Norfolk Police arrested 13 people accused of supporting the group, after a protest in Norwich city Met added that more prosecutions were expected in the coming weeks and that arrangements had been put in place "that will enable us to investigate and prosecute significant numbers each week if necessary".Palestine Action has engaged in activities that have predominantly targeted arms companies since the start of the current war in moved to ban the group after activists from the group caused an estimated £7m of damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton in home secretary said while many were aware of that incident, fewer would be aware of other incidents for which the group had claimed also referenced a so-called "Underground Manual" from the group, which she said "encourages the creation of cells, provides practical guidance on how to identify targets to attack and how to evade law enforcement"."These are not the actions of a legitimate protest group," Cooper also reiterated a comment made to the BBC earlier this week that some people who were supporting Palestine Action out of concern for the humanitarian situation in Gaza were not aware of the true nature of the group. "No-one should allow desperate calls for peace in the Middle East to be derailed into a campaign to support one narrow group involved in violence here in the UK," Cooper government's banning of Palestine Action means membership of or support for the group became a criminal offence, carrying a sentence of up to 14 month, the group won permission to challenge the ban and its case will be heard in the High Court in November. It argues that the ban breaches the right to free speech and has acted as a gag on legitimate protest. Rights groups have also been critical both of the proscribing of Palestine Action as a terrorist group and of the subsequent arrest of hundreds of International's chief executive, Sacha Deshmukh, earlier this week suggested the response to last weekend's protest was disproportionate."We have long criticised UK terrorism law for being excessively broad and vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression. These arrests demonstrate that our concerns were justified," he UK is not one of Israel's main suppliers of arms but does provide some parts for the F-35 jet - state-of-the-art multi-role fighter that has been used extensively by Israel to strike Royal Air Force (RAF) has also flown hundreds of surveillance flights over Gaza since December 2023, reportedly using Shadow R1 spy planes based at an RAF base in Akrotiri in nearby the foreign secretary has insisted that the flights have not led to the sharing of any military intelligence with the Israeli military.
