The mother of a 12-year-old boy has told of how her son’s mental health has been “severely impacted” due to pornography being shared between pupils at an Edinburgh school.
The woman said the explicit material has caused her son to suffer anxiety and left him “scared it’s going to happen again”.
She told Sky News: “I’ve seen it affect his sleep, his anxiety, not wanting to go to school.”
The mother, who we are not naming to protect the identity of her son, said the boy has been shown inappropriate material by fellow secondary school pupils on at least six to seven occasions.
Some of the pornographic images and videos screened via the children’s phones were said to be “very, very explicit”, with the mother adding: “His mental health has been severely impacted by what he has seen.”
The mother said the incidents usually occur during lunch and break times, with the latest reportedly happening around two weeks ago.
On one occasion, an explicit gif of male genitalia was allegedly shared within a school year WhatsApp group.
‘Once it’s seen, you can’t unsee it’
The mother said: “I don’t know how many students are in that, but presumably quite a lot.
“Once it’s seen, you can’t unsee it. The problem with phones is the reach.
“All it takes is for one kid to send something to a whole group and then everyone’s affected. So, that’s the problem.”
Councillor Joan Griffiths, education, children and families convener, told Sky News it was “shocking to hear” that the inappropriate image had been shared in a secondary school.
She said: “Incidents of phone misuse in school are treated extremely seriously, and we take immediate action to ensure that instances like this are dealt with appropriately.”
The councillor added restrictions had been placed on phone use in the school “as necessary”, with a “variety of support measures” implemented – including assistance from the school councillor.
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The mother’s concerns separately come amid an ongoing police probe into a sextortion plot which has seen an eight-year-old Edinburgh schoolgirl targeted.
In December last year, it emerged that pupils in the Scottish capital were able to view explicit material on school-issued iPads.
At the time, The City of Edinburgh Council said blocking inappropriate content was a priority and steps had been taken to prevent it from being accessed.
It was this that prompted the mother to ask her son if he had viewed anything inappropriate.
She said: “Apart from the porn, he’s also been shown shootings and kidnappings. And he’s finding it all very difficult to deal with, very overwhelming.”
The mother has lodged a complaint with the secondary school and is calling for the building to be “phone-free” as part of efforts to prevent further instances from happening again.
‘This is his childhood’
The headteacher was said to have apologised for the boy having an “unpleasant experience”.
The mother said: “It’s not just unpleasant. This is his childhood, and he’d never seen porn until he went to high school.
“We can’t have kids as young as 11 viewing pornography at the school. It’s inappropriate and they’re not mature enough to deal with that.”
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‘They’re scared to report it’
The mother claims the current onus is on the children to report incidents of this nature, which she said “puts too much responsibility” on the youngsters and could lead to bullying.
She added: “They’re scared to report it. They’re just kids.
“For me, it’s a major safeguarding concern. I can’t contact all the other parents and tell them to put controls on their kids’ phones or to check the content.
“I do personally think parents have a responsibility when they give their kids these devices.
“But for the people who don’t give their kids the devices, they should expect high school to be a safe place, socially and for their learning.”
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