Hundreds of schoolchildren from three Gloucester Schools were added to a group chat on WhatsApp containing what has been described as "inappropriate and illegal content".
The BBC has seen emails sent to two of the schools warning parents that "a number" of 11 and 12 year-olds in year seven have been invited in to the group called 'World Record Breakers'.
One states that "almost 300 secondary aged children from local schools" are in the group, which might also include "other unknown individuals".
This should trigger ever parent and carer to take immediate action to discuss the situation with their children and ask them to share their phone or tablet to see if they are in the group and to explain the risks they face. It will be important to handle this situation in a supportive way and encourage their children to share their lives online.
The Trust's moniotring project is intended to promote online monitoing of a child's device to provide an early alert when such issues arise so that they can be dealt without delay.
