Twelve-year-old's WhatsApp group being spammed with explicit GIFs

[NotPerfectlyAdverage]

My 12 year old dd is on a group WhatsApp chat with her 12 year mates. When i was looking at my photos, one of the kids? Is spamming the group with porn gifs. What do I do? I can't Google this as the word "porn" shuts my search engine down. Help! Its my phone. Not hers. All this is on my device and it looks like im on the group! No idea how long this has been going on for as literally just found it. Before its been tame chat.

Talk to your DD and tell her she's done nothing wrong. Reassure her if she's upset, confused or worried about anything she's seen. Tell her that you are not angry with her. Make sure she knows if anything happens like this in the future she can and should come to you straight away and tell you.

Take screenshots of the WhatsApp group.

Phone 111 today and log that this has happened. The child that is sharing this might be a victim, this could help if there are other safeguarding concerns, in getting them help.

Talk to the mums you know and tell them so they can stop their kids seeing anything else, support their children and take future steps

Contact school safeguarding lead on Monday

Don't focus on the images that are on your phone. That's not the important issue here at all

I'm sorry you are not getting much help here OP, I honestly don't know why. I haven't a clue how to help, but I've never heard of WhatsApp doing this before and it's worrying because that's all my kids are allowed as I don't want them on social media. I know you can have a setting that doesn't save WhatsApp images, I have that. Then it's easy download the ones I want and I don't have a gallery full of rubbish. That doesn't solve the problem for the kids though.

Can I ask what exactly it is, nude pics or sexual acts or even more graphic? There is a big difference. Some images wouldn't be that big a deal, or some could be extremely troubling.

She shouldn’t have a WhatsApp account until she’s 13 unless she has a managed account which it doesn’t sound like she does.
children shouldn’t have smart phones and this is why!!

Oh FFS....YABU for letting her have WhatsApp!!!!

Why can't she use tech!?!?! Seriously???? She's 12!!!!

It's not that you dont' check your photos daily that's bothering me

It's that you don't keep an eye on your 12yo group activity, and that you don't even know in which group chats they are when they are using YOUR phone!

I keep an eye on my kids groups, and they have their own phone.

Its on my phone as I don't want her on WhatsApp unmonitored. I am sorry but it sounds like it is unmonitored. The point of 12yo having phone and social media is that they're young enough you keep an eye on it and they learn.

And I don't understand why you are being so dramatic: you find porn, you obviously take screen shots, get the spammer excluded immediately or get your child to leave the group and you warn all the other parents? Your child wouldn't be in a group if they didn't know the admin, another child, contact the parents?

Genuinely ,it would have taken you a lot less time than being on this thread.

I don't think you need to Google "porn", you need to Google "how to .....". You want advice on how to block images, or delete images, or change settings to stop pictures or videos or gifs getting through in the first place. Sorry I don't have more technical advice and you're obviously upset and not really thinking clearly. I think a 12 year old needs to be very closely monitored with a smart phone. They should be telling you instantly if anyone else is added to a group, other than those you have agreed.

whatsapp is absolutely fine, everybody is on it. Just because some parents are less competent than others , we shouldn't ban everybody else.

I want to have my kids on whatsapp, they need it too with their friends, I am not sending them messages by pigeon

It's not whatsapp the problem

The group will have an Admin. Or more than one. You message the admin - or their mum - and get them to kick the spammer out.

Then report to whoever you want to report it to.

It's obviously not fine though, children are being exposed to porn on it?
How is that fine 🤔

that's a copout from lazy parents.

Is TV banned because kids can be exposed to porn? Pretty sure porn movies ARE a thing. Somehow tv is still allowed.

and I do stand by my post

A 12yo can't, or shouldn't, be on a group if they dont' know the admin!

and I do stand by my post

A 12yo can't, or shouldn't, be on a group if they dont' know the admin!

I am not sure why there's a duplicate post, sorry, I didn't write it twice

Ah ok, that makes sense thank you

It really isn't fine. I sit at my desk at work crying sometimes because I have to read chat logs where kids are being groomed or sexploited.
You name a messaging app and I've probably come across it at work.

Ridiculous comparison.

I would inform the DSL, you don't have to wait until Monday there will be a number/email on the school website. Take screenshots in case its asked for and tell the DSL who is sending the images. Leave the group as you will have the screenshots as evidence. Do not send this on the parents WhatsApp group, leave it for the school to deal with.

Who is sending the pictures? Do you know their parents? Are they at the same school as your child?

Be a bloody grown up, remove yourself from the group! If she can't be in a group with sensible people that's it. She doesn't need it. My sons only had WhatsApp from 14 and this is why- doesn't matter that it's on your phone or not. Plus why would you risk porn being saved to your phone?

Have had a similar issue previously. You can remove yourself from the chat and it will still show you the previous messages.

Youve said DD isnt in the chat anymore, or your post was confusing....which is it.

Are these boys known to DD? The issue we had was a peado in his 60s adding himself to the group poised as a teen boy.

You have pornography on your TV???

Nonsense.

How many porn channels can you watch right now without subscriptions on your TV....

You said that your daughter said she isn't part of the group.... The confusion is how could you not know?

Now you're saying she's using your phone, which is .... Weird because now you have children's phone numbers on as contact...

Anyway, lesson learned, children shouldn't be i WhatsApp. Protect your child.

Um.

Weird and false comparison.

That's like saying because sex shops exist in the high street, that kids shouldn't be allowed to go into town shopping?

Or the other way round to suit your narrative, kids should be allowed in sex shops because they're allowed to go shopping in town.