If you’re buying a smartphone for a child, be aware of paedophile traps

Another year has flown by, and children are looking forward excitedly to what Santa is leaving under the Christmas tree.

The white bearded man will bring no joy this time around to those Fianna Fáiil and Fine Gael councillors who were exposed by RTE as-line-my-pocket me-féiners but sure we all knew it was happening.

At this time of year, parents are putting themselves under unnecessary pressure to come up with presents, whether its a dolls house, the latest iPhone or a convertible VW Golf.

If anyone watched Channel 4’s ‘Hunting the Paedophiles’, it gave a sobering insight into how modern technology transcends all borders in its attempt to ensnare victims.

Up to 18,000 children throughout England, Scotland, Wales and the six counties, ranging from the age of 10-14, found themselves being blackmailed to video and take inappropriate photos of themselves and their siblings to satisfy the perverted cravings of paedophiles half way around the world.

People who allow their children unsupervised access to social media sites need to wise up to the dangers lurking on the internet.

Stephanie McCourt a senior investigating officer with the English police, carried out a painstaking trawl with the involvement of many police forces. This culminated in the arrest of five paedophiles in Bahrain and one in England who was jailed for four years’

McCourt, deserves to be commended for her unstinting work in ending the nightmare for those minors involved.

The defendants tactics were simple: create a fake profile of a young girl and befriend innocent 10 -14 year old boys, then over the following weeks and months lead their victims into a surreal virtual world of intimacy.

Once unsuspecting children were ensnared, having taken photos of body parts and sent them to their so-called girlfriend, they were then threatened that if they did not comply with further demands, their incriminating photos would be sent to their school friends through social media.

The police recovered more than 30,000 images stored on laptops in this one investigation. The paedophiles apprehended by authorities in Bahrain said the lax attitudes of adults was behind their choosing Britain, plus that the paedophiles spoke good English.

If you plan on giving your child or children the latest iPhone with internet access as a Christmas present, make sure that you’re going to follow that up with proper supervision.

James Woods

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