I've just seen the news about primary and secondary school children belonging to Catapult mass what's app groups where their main aim is to kill or injure animals.
I'll share the link, but please note there is sensitive content and images: news.sky.com/story/children-using-catapults-to-kill-and-torture-animals-before-sharing-sick-images-on-whatsapp-13089025
The images and messages are sickening and heartbreaking. I'm in tears. It just makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with children today? How have we gone so wrong with raising children who get enjoyment out of this and don't find this kind thing wrong? Where is the compassion?
Message shared by children in the group:
Separate footage shows a child of primary school age filming themselves picking up a heavily bleeding squirrel while saying: "Look at that boys, it's a ball bearing for ya... have that you prick."
The material in the WhatsApp groups also includes voice notes where children are heard describing their kills.
One boy says in a voice note: "Shot him straight in the head boys, smack bang in the skull, not one bit of kick, nothing, no little flinch before he died."
In a separate voice note, one boy says: "I killed 16 things today lads."
I'm furious and want to ring each one of the children's necks myself to try and knock some sense into them. I hope that police now having access to these groups and members phone numbers that their parents will be alerted (unlikely I know) and some of them will face some kind of punishment.
If you're a parent to a child who you know owns one of these catapults I'd urge you to check their phone for these groups.
It's just sickening. What the fuck is wrong with people?!?