Child Predator Social Experiment

I just checked out the curriculum at DGS' church school - they are almost 7 and internet safety is part of their lessons in IT and PSHE. They stick to the National Curriculum. Perhaps some current teachers can say whether it's happening in their schools?

when it's good to know the problem is being addressed in schools in the way you describe.

Sorry,I'm dozy.

I think it's set up for TV,it's not genuine,but I think it's a good thing to do,although I doubt it will work.

janeainsworth I felt uncomfortable about the parents' angry reactions, too. Replacing one potential violent outcome with another from a raging parent shook those children rigid. The balaclava'd people in the van could have had a lasting damaging effect, which is what education about meeting up with strangers is supposed to be trying to prevent. Children can learn in an effective way without being jumped on and bawled out.

In this country, there are some great drama companies going in to schools to educate children about the dangers of the internet. There are videos and lesson plans for discussing the isue, too. My DD includes this topic in her teaching with her group of 15/16 year olds at the academy school she works in, as do her colleagues. Hopefully, the message is spreading. Most children can envisage the danger of talking to strangers who ask for inappropriate photos and meetings.

Predatory sex offenders are not increasing, child abductions aren't on the rise - we just know more about those that do occur now and the method for attempting to entrap children changes with the times. We shouldn't get this out of proportion, though. Whilst we are educating children and a small number of vigilante-type groups are hunting down sex offenders like this, the sex offenders are gradually learning that they, too, could br risking their lives by going to meet a 'child' who could turn out to be a group of violent vigilantes.

I just wonder what the average 12 year old will take from this.
The overriding message seems to be that if you make friends with someone on social media that you don't know in real life your parents will be very very angry.

Does that actually stop them doing stuff?

I would have preferred to see some regret and remorse and the parents talking through in a rational way why it's dangerous to agree to meet someone you don't know at all.

I think it's set up for TV. I don't think any of it is spontaneous or genuine.But it's probably a good idea to press something like this.Although I don't think it will stop it happening.

It seems to be quite a new youtube video.
In the comments afterwards, it says that there is going to be another video where it seems young males are lured.

I agree that there could be a set up element, and also that the girls' reactions seemed very genuine.

It does seem very set up although I would say that the girls in each scenario were quite authentic. I think the parents stepped in too quickly and a much more powerful message would have been created if the scene had acted out longer and the girls had actually been in a much more scarier situation.
No matter how many times all of us try to get this message across I don't think it is really sinking in as nobody really believes anything is going to happen to them....bad things just happen to other people sort of mentality.
It needs other young people to ram this message down young females throats as they really are not going to listen to their teachers or parents.
There is frequently a trusting naivety in many young females which is why so many of them find themselves in these dangerous, vulnerable situations.

You would be beside your self with fear knowing your child, whom you thought you had raised to be aware, could be so easily a victim. Possibly the most terrifying scenario for any parent, can you think of much worse.

I think my gut reaction would make me shake with fear and for once shout too. I don't think given the seriousness of what they did you could expect a quiet word to suffice or stifle your anger with their stupidity and downright deceipt.

Just think what could have happened in reality . They got off lucky and I hope they were scared and realised just how dangerous their actions were. At least they had the opportunity to discuss the matter with their parents, some poor things don't do they.

Jane, that's what made me wonder if it was set up. I was surprised at the very immediate anger of all of the parents concerned, unless they were told to react angrily for the video. I would have been shocked and upset if it were my child. But whatever. It was the message that mattered.

Yes I guess so.

Gut reaction???

I don't know how I would have reacted to be honest Anya, I just feel that bawling children out and verbal violence is going to have almost as bad an effect on them as physical violence would.
Easy to say I know.

I didn't feel uncomfortable Jane - I'd say the parents' reactions were understandable, to me, at any rate.

Is it only me who felt very uncomfortable with the parents' anger?

Even if it's been set up - which had occurred to me - it still sends out a powerful message and I'd like to think it could reach young social media users over here.

That is absolutely terrifying if genuine and not set up. Kids really need to be aware of the stupidity of this sort of behaviour as the potential for exploitation is mind-blowing.

soon

That clip makes you want to scream at the girls too. You can feel the fear of both the girls and parents can't you. Terrifying .

There are groups who are 'online paedophile trappers' in all countries , we have them in our area actually.

The leader of one group , originally from Nuneaton, was called Stinson Hunter. There is a documenatery made about him, they used pseudo , underaged girls to trap older men and there were arrests made I believe. He is easy to research.

The other group I know of is based in Hinckley and call themselves 'LetzGo Hunting'. They too are an online paedophile hunting group and had a bad press a while back as somebody committed suicide who was being questioned by police after information given by them, that is my understanding of the case. The group stopped for a while but have restarted and we read about them in our local paper occasionally. They apparently work smarter and liase with the police and arrests have been made. Again easy to research

Now some people will call them dispicable vigilantes, other say they are doing a good job. I am in the latter camp providing they do not break the law, do not use violence and let the police and courts decide on their evidence.

The police obviously do the same type of work on a larger scale but the fact is the numbers are massive and the web is a source of evil but so easy for paedophiles to engage with girls , just like those in the clip you provided. I think the clip brings home a message and I think the clip would serve a purpose to be shown to a wide audience including schools.

I dont know if there are similar UK ones and whether they are shown in schools.

I did think it was worth posting on here, as some grandparents do have gc that sort of age.

The video doesnt seem to have any other information with it. It would be interesting to know how many he was able to lure.

That is shocking.

That was an eye opener Soon. I wonder if there are any UK-made similar videos, and whether schools are using them? It's good for us to see these scenarios but they really need to be reaching the potential targets. Does anyone have grandchildren old enough to know whether this kind of video is shown in schools?