Warning over inappropriate pupils' WhatsApp groups

Police have warned schools about two chat groups containing racist, violent and pornographic content.

In an email forwarded by schools to parents, Humberside Police said the WhatsApp groups were created by local schoolchildren and were causing "great concern".

It also said "a number of unknown paedophiles are also using these groups to gain access to children".

WhatsApp owner Meta said it offered the option to block content and "users can report content or groups they believe break our terms of service".

The email sent on Thursday morning by the force's Safer Schools team said all schools in the Humberside Police area had been contacted and encouraged to advise parents to report any information about the groups to officers because they were being accessed by youngsters.

More than 180 people are members of the "These Guys Are Bad" and "All The Bad Guys" groups, the force added.

Supt Iain Pottage said parents should talk to their children about the risks involved using social media and the internet.

He said officers worked with schools to warn them of "any emerging risks online".

"We also have a dedicated police online investigations team who work with a variety of other agencies to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people," he said.

"We all work together to keep children safe, and we all play a role in helping to create a safer online community."

A Meta spokesperson said: "We give all users controls for who can add them to groups and the first time you receive a message from an unknown number we give you the option to block and report the account.

"All users can report content or groups they believe break our terms of service and we respond to valid requests from law enforcement."

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