Swinney warns of sextortion’s evil fallout after an 8-year-old was targeted. He highlights Dowey’s case and urges UK regulation.
He thinks the UK is helping. It risks children and young people. Swinney discussed Dowey’s case. Dowey killed himself after sextortion. He was only sixteen.
A school sent a letter to parents. They urged caution about online activity. Snapchat was specifically mentioned. Snapchat lets users share media. These vanish after you view them.
Parents must check their kids’ accounts. Screenshot any suspicious accounts. Block and report the accounts. Report it all to Police Scotland.
A girl’s parent talked about fake accounts. An eight-year-old got targeted online. They wanted embarrassing content. They hacked phones, posting everything.
Swinney was asked about eight-year-olds. Should they be on Snapchat? He simply replied, “No.” Snapchat’s minimum age is thirteen. They delete accounts for kids under thirteen. They also destroy the data.
Police Scotland started an investigation. It involves indecent images shared online. This happened in Edinburgh. Snapchat called exploitation horrific and illegal.
Their thoughts are with the victims. They remove such content when informed. They also lock the offending account. Snapchat reports it to authorities.
It is for those thirteen and older. They have extra safeguards for teens. Parents can use their Family Centre. They can track teen’s contacts there.