Web perverts ‘luring kids with ice cream’

PAEDOPHILES are using ice cream and chicken nuggets to lure children online, an expert has warned.

According to forensic psychologist, Dr Maureen Griffin, children have become so aware of ‘stranger danger’ that sex offenders are finding new ways of befriending them on social media.

Dr Griffin, who is a leading expert on social media safety, said that fake accounts seeking access to children’s information is now a major concern. She said: ‘At primary school level, I have dealt with accounts pretending to be chicken nuggets and ice-cream in order to friend children.’

She gave one ‘horrific’ example where a sex offender set up a fake social media account as a road on which a girls’ secondary school was located on.

Dr Griffin, speaking yesterday at a presentation for the Ennis Mental Health Association, said: ‘Over 400 girls at the school accepted the road as a friend. The owner of the account was a known convicted sex offender who made no effort to contact the girls, he didn’t follow them or meet them in real life, or wait outside their school.

‘He simply collected their photos, pictures from teenage discos, girls’ sleepovers and a range of selfies.’

Dr Griffin said that one of the best ways of protecting your children is to make sure you know and trust their followers and friends.

The psychologist cautioned that ‘any site that is targeted at children... adults with a sexual interest in children will use that site.’

She said that children are getting younger when setting up Facebook and Instagram accounts. Nine years ago, when she started talking to schools, students were using children’s sites such as Moshi Monsters and Club Penguin up to sixth class and first year.

Dr Griffin said that such sites are designed for children aged seven to 14 years of age, and are considered to be a safe introduction to social network sites because they are monitored by real people in real time.

However, Dr Griffin said: ‘I am now being told by students from third and fourth class that they are too old for sites like Moshi Monsters and Club Penguin.

‘These students are telling me they are now on Facebook and Instagram where that same level of monitoring isn’t in place.’

Dr Griffin said that sites such as Facebook have addressed the issue of fake accounts ‘by requiring businesses/organisations/causes to set up pages instead of accounts. This way they cannot access all of our data.’