Parents be on The Alert!Is The Dangers of Technology? Ten-Year-Old Girl Groomed Through Tablet By Perverts Despite Her Parents Taking 'All Sensible Safety Measures'
A
ten-year-old girl was groomed by perverts through her iPad - despite her
parents taking 'all sensible safety measures' to protect her.
The
girl was given the tablet to help with her schoolwork. But just a month later
her mother checked the device and was 'terrified' to discover that she had been
targeted by at least 16 men.
They
used popular applications such as Skype and Snapchat to send the girl explicit
messages and encourage her to expose herself on camera.
The
perverts, who are understood to be based in the UK and overseas, were able to
contact the girl, who lives near Middlesbrough, even though her parents had
taken child safety precautions.
Police
have now launched an international investigation to find the men. Detectives
from Cleveland Police are liaising with Snapchat and Skype bosses in the hope
of tracking them down, according to the Sun.
It
comes just weeks after David Cameron unveiled new plans to tackle web
pornography, calling for internet firms to do more to help catch
paedophiles.
The
schoolgirl was first contacted by a man on Snapchat, who won her trust before
leading the conversation on to sex. Her parents believe that he must have
passed her details on to others.
Her
father, 37, said that his daughter told many of the men that she was ten years
old, but that it only encouraged them to ask for explicit images.
He
told the Sun: 'In one case they begged her to undress.
When she refused he said
"Your parents won't come into your room in the time it will take to get
out of your pyjamas".'
He
father added that the most frightening exchange he read was one in which a man
offered to transfer his daughter money so that she might travel to meet up with
him.
On
another occasion one man begged: 'Open cam baby open' and added: 'plzzzzzz I
like sex. What problem r u no interest to sex.
The
father, 37, said that he and his wife knew she was using the applications -
which are popular with teenagers - and had taken 'all the sensible child safety
measures that all good parents do'.
Her
mother, 32, said it was 'terrifying' that the men could reach children in their
own home and said she 'thanked God' that she checked her iPad.
She
said: ' I'm asking every parent in Britain to do the same. My little girl was
groomed into doing things we thought were unthinkable. If it can happen to us
it can happen to anyone.'
In
one case they begged her to undress. When she refused he said "Your
parents won't come into your room in the time it will take to get out of your
pyjamas
Father
of the ten-year-old victim
At a
summit with internet firms and experts earlier this month, Mr Cameron announced
a new criminal offence of sexual communication with a child is to be created,
closing a staggering loophole in the law.
Paedophiles
who currently solicit explicit pictures of children routinely escape punishment
if it can't be proved they have received an illegal image.
But
the new law will allow police and prosecutors to pursue those who send text
messages or 'fish' for victims online, irrespective of the outcome of their
behaviour.
Mr
Cameron announced that a Serious Crime Bill currently going through Parliament
will introduce a broad new offence, punishable by two years in jail.
It
will allow police and prosecutors to pursue those who 'fish' for child victims
on social networks and chat rooms but cannot usually be punished unless they
can be shown to have received an illegal image.
Mr
Cameron said he and his wife Samantha had applied filters to computers and
other devices in their home to keep the internet safe for their children.
+2
The
schoolgirl was first contacted by a man on Snapchat, who won her trust before
leading the conversation on to sex. Her parents believe that he must have
passed her details on to others (picture posed by model)
The PM
urged parents and children to talk to each other about the dangers of online
child sexual exploitation but added: 'That's difficult for parents - we're
still learning a lot about the internet ourselves.'
The
NSPCC's research shows that there has been a 168 per cent increase in the
number of children being counselled by ChildLine about online sexual abuse –
averaging seven contacts a day to its helpline.
Peter
Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, hailed the announcement as 'a victory for our
Flaw in the Law campaign but more importantly a major step forward in
preventing online child abuse'.
STAYING
SAFE ONLINE: STEPS PARENTS CAN TAKE TO PROTECT CHILDREN
There
are a number of steps that parents can take to safeguard their children while
online - on tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
The UK Safer Internet
Centre offers parents, teachers and children advice on what they
can do to make sure that children are able to use the internet safely.
It
suggests parents take the following steps.
Have
ongoing conversations with your children about staying safe online.
The
Safer Internet Centre suggests parents start by asking their children what
sites they enjoy visiting and what they do to stay safe online.
They
could also ask children whether they know where to go for help online.
Use
tools on social networks and other online services, eg Facebook privacy
settings
Parents
should think about the sites their family uses and take a look at which
services and features the sites have that might be helpful.
It
recommends: 'Talk to your children and make sure they know how to use the tools
on the sites and services they use.'
Decide
if you want to use parental controls on your home internet
The 4
big internet providers in the UK – BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media - provide
their customers with free parental controls which can be activated at any time.
But no
filter or parental controls tool is 100 per cent effective, and many of the
risks that young people face online are because of their own and other’s
behaviour.
Understand
devices and the parental control tools they offer
The UK
Safer Internet Centre recommends parents start by talking with their child
about using their device safely and responsibly and agreeing a set of family
rules.
Rules
could cover: not meeting up with people they have only met online, how much
they are allowed to spend on apps, what websites it’s okay and not okay to
visit, and whether their phone should be switched off at night.
Get Safe
Online, a public / private sector partnership supported by HM
Government, adds that it is sensible to set these boundaries before children
get their first device with internet access.
It
advises parents to their child about the kind of content they see online. It
says: 'They need to understand the importance of not sending other people -
whoever they are - pictures of themselves naked.'
It
adds: 'Explain to your child that being online doesn’t give them anonymity or
protection, and that they shouldn’t do anything online that they wouldn’t do
face-to-face.'
Source:
The Safer Internet Centre, Get Safe Online
Visit
the sites below to keep your kids safe online
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