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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Is this police training action at DD(14) school really bizarre, bordering on inappropriate, or completely fine and normal?

140 replies

questionzzz · 02/02/2018 21:42

This is kind of preying on my mind.
A local police officer made a fake instagram account impersonating a teen from a (different) local school, and sent "friends requests" to a bunch of students at the local high where DD goes. Some of them accepted, despite not knowing the person who had sent them the request- one of them being one of DD's friends.
So this officer saw what these schoolkids are posting on their (private) accounts. DD's friend posts a lot, including pics of herself in clothes showing cleavage. Apparently, according to DDfriend, the police officer subsequently approached her, told her that the pics were inappropriate- these pics were subsequently deleted from the account. This happened to several students (dunno if just girls targeted, or boys too) On Thursday (yesterday), the officer addressed the whole school, told them about this instagram experiment, how dangerous social media was, talked to them about sexting and sending nudes and the fact that it is illegal at their age, told them how a boy two years above than them, super smart with a great future etc, had showed nudes of his gf to other boys and was now in prison, his whole life ruined before it started, on the sex offender's registry.

The speech seemed to have backfired, because as far as I can tell, the kids seem to have more sympathy with the boy in the police officer's story?

Anyway- the speech wasn't that bad if heavy-handed, and I'm all on board for training about social media- , but the whole instagram experiment thing? I can't seem to wrap my head around it. It seems- over-zealous? Right now, it's become a bit of creepy joke with DD and her friends- I heard them going through their accounts "ooo that one would be banned FOR SUUURE"

what do you think?

OP posts:

Original poster

questionzzz · 02/02/2018 21:56

happened in Canada, btw.

OP posts:

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 02/02/2018 21:58

I think it's a pretty good idea actually, though it seems to have been explained badly as the kids don't seem to get it

CrochetBelle · 02/02/2018 21:59

I think it's brilliant, and teenagers shouldn't be so fucking stupid. There's been years of people telling them the dangers, now it's maybe time to move on to showing them.

Hausfrauenvy · 02/02/2018 22:00

Not sure it matters whose 'side' the teenagers are on re police vs teenage boy. They now know that they have to be careful with their online profile.

Original poster

questionzzz · 02/02/2018 22:04

Yeah- I mean I get that it's necessary to tell the kids- but the whole "cop undercover looking at teenagers accounts for inappropriate pictures" scenario... I can't express it very well, but it seems "off" and "police state". No?

Yeah the whole story of the sex-offender boy- was not done effectively.

OP posts:

Nicknacky · 02/02/2018 22:05

What's your issue with it? It shows the dangers of accepting friends request from people you don't know.

Lethaldrizzle · 02/02/2018 22:06

I think its brilliant

TheSnowFairy · 02/02/2018 22:06

Isn't the point that they were easy to find by anyone and therefore telling them to keep it secure?

Veterinari · 02/02/2018 22:07

If they think the policeman has been ‘creepy’ then they’re idiots and totally missing the point.

And they can empathise all they like with the imprisoned teen but it dorsn’t Make the actions any less illegal.

What they don’t seem to have understood is that sniggering at it as a ‘creepy joke’ and stropping about it being ‘unfair’ doesn’t Make doing those things any less dangerous or illegal.

It sounds like you need to spell it out.

Anasnake · 02/02/2018 22:07

It made its point brilliantly

Oysterbabe · 02/02/2018 22:07

Better a police officer looking at those pictures and flagging them as a problem than a pervert.

Cookandbook · 02/02/2018 22:07

I think it's an interesting experiment to see how many people accepted the friend request but I do find the idea of the police officer trawling through lots of teenagers instagram pages a bit uncomfortable.

edwinbear · 02/02/2018 22:08

I think it's a brilliant idea too, nothing like a practical exercise to make a point. They clearly weren't bothered about who sees their pics so I can't understand why they'd be that concerned.

TeeniefaeTroon · 02/02/2018 22:08

I think it's a great idea! Hopefully it stops them adding random people again.

Cookandbook · 02/02/2018 22:09

In that sort of close school setting as well it probably only takes a few people to be daft enough to accept it then the person starts showing up as a mutual friend, or friends with 4,5,6 people in common. Then everyone starts to think the mystery person is safe.
It's really interesting how people work.

edwinbear · 02/02/2018 22:11

In fact if I was the parent of one of the kids who accepted the friend request I'd be taking their phones off them and banning them from instagram as they are clearly not responsible enough to be on it.

Homemenu1 · 02/02/2018 22:11

Do you feel it like one of those examples when people who have been caught looking at abuse say 'I was researching a book' and need to accesses the abuse type action.

chocolateorangeowls · 02/02/2018 22:12

I'm a secondary teacher and I think it's a great way of making a point. What that police person did was what anyone could do. Anyone at all! That's what so many kids don't get.

hibbledibble · 02/02/2018 22:12

Sadly this is needed in today's society, so I think it is a great idea.

I do worry about teenagers today. Sexting wasnt an issue when we were teenagers, as no one had camera phones.

BoneyBackJefferson · 02/02/2018 22:14

Cookandbook

I do find the idea of the police officer trawling through lots of teenagers instagram pages a bit uncomfortable.

At least it was a police officer.

Think about how you would feel if when its someone that you don't know?

UpstartCrow · 02/02/2018 22:17

Homemenu1 It did feel like the 41 year old police officer caught trying to meet up with a 14 yo girl, who eventually thought to say he was going to warn her of the dangers of meeting men.

Missingstreetlife · 02/02/2018 22:20

Total invasion of privacy, entrapment nearly. Violating
Never heard of a bent copper? not saying he is but there have been some.
Were school in on this? It's outrageous.should complain at highest level to police and school governor

Smarmydrippings · 02/02/2018 22:22

That is fucking genius.

donquixotedelamancha · 02/02/2018 22:22

it seems "off" and "police state". No?

Nope. The police officer used no state powers. They sent a friend request and then viewed material they had been explicitly permitted to see.

I too think it's an interesting and worthwhile tactic to address a very difficult issue.

A police state is a very different thing. Go to Istanbul and shout "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a dickhead" outside the Blue mosque for an excellent comparison experience.

Nicknacky · 02/02/2018 22:23

It's not entrapment ffs. And I guarantee he wasn't doing it off his own back, it will be an authorised action plan.

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