As the Westminster debate about banning under16 from using social media and banning mobile phones in schools continues, Cumbria Police are urging parents to monitor what children are looking at on their phones and online to help protect youngsters from potential dangers following recent concerns over social media groups used by pupils in Cumbria.
The warning to parents has been issued following concerns in west Cumbria in the last week about the content of a WhatsApp group called “100 Before 2027.”
The group was believed to be encouraging children to commit self-harm and suicide with the goal of the group to have 100 children take their own lives before 2027.
But since schools in North and West Cumbria issued a warning over the weekend to parents, Cumbria Police has said “Officers are continuing to reviewing the content at this time but can reassure the community there was no self-harm content involved”.
“We are also constantly working with partners to support and educate children”.
“But the most important person in a child’s life is usually their parent or guardian – so we would ask parents to take the time to check children’s phones and devices to ensure children are safe”.
“Be intrusive around what your children are using on devices and check by researching the various apps or games to see if they are suitable for a child to have access to”.
Concerns about social media groups can be reported direct to the platform owners but police are keen to learn more about any groups that may pose risks to children.
You can call Cumbria Police about any concerns via 101.
The NSPCC have a handy guide to help parents spot signs of issues and help to understand some of the terms used online available at https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/social-media/
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