Warning for parents over 'explicit' WhatsApp group

The WhatsApp group has potentially exposed youngsters to explicit and inappropriate material

Parents of school children have been warned about a WhatsApp group which has potentially exposed pupils to inappropriate and explicit material.

Clacton County High School in Essex has advised parents to ensure their children do not join "Add Everyone", or to block and report it if they have.

In a widely shared post on its Facebook page, the school says the WhatsApp group could "put young people into dangerous and vulnerable situations".

The school has told the BBC that "as far as we are aware, no students have joined this group" and it was merely raising awareness.

'Scary'

The school’s post has been shared more than 1,000 times, including by parents who said their children had been affected - although the BBC has been unable to verify which school their children attend.

One mother said: "Parents beware - my son and lots of his friends have been added to this recently. Thankfully they all left and deleted it immediately. Absolutely disgusting and scary how easy it is for it to happen."

Another posted: "My daughter was also added and came out straight away after they asked what school she goes too. She said lots of kids from her school was added as well."

A similar warning to parents has been posted by Clacton Coastal Academy.

In a post on X, the academy said "explicit images have been shared within this [WhatsApp] group and seen by students who are at other schools", but added that "this has not been reported within Clacton Coastal Academy".

The BBC has approached the school for comment.

Advice

Essex Police said it was seeking to clarify if any schools had reported the Add Everyone group to the force, but warned of the dangers of WhatsApp in more general terms.

"We’re aware of a number of reports in Essex of people being added to groups and being sent illegal or abusive material," a police spokesperson said.

"WhatsApp can be a great way to stay in touch with friends and family. However, it can be used by people all over the world to send unwanted and unsolicited criminal content."

The force added that anyone who wished to report such content could do so via its website.

Clacton County High School has directed parents to the E-safety section of its website, which includes advice on how to stay safe on platforms such as WhatsApp and social media, including how to avoid being added to groups and how to block people.