Disturbing FB message about trans grooming of child. Advice please

[HotRocker]

Recently I’ve started posting items about female erasure, trans issues and safeguarding children on Facebook. Yesterday I received a very worrying message from a friend who’s 16 year old son came out as trans a year ago. She doesn’t mind if he is trans, because she’s always encouraged her children to be who they want to be, but she doesn’t really believe that he is. She suspects that he has been groomed by a group on a gaming forum. She also suspects this group of promoting self harm. She has seen messages, the contents of which she didn’t disclose, but she said they all appear to be from older people. When her son found out he locked his computer down with passwords so she no longer has access.
She wanted to know if I‘d ever heard of grooming going on. I told her that I’ve not seen it first hand but I’ve heard about it from others, and seen screenshots of tweets where people post websites where cross sex hormones can be purchased.
I directed her to the Transgender Trend website, because to be honest I have no idea what else to do.
Has anybody else seen or heard of trans groups grooming young, vulnerable people on the Internet. I understand that this boy is very vulnerable, so he would seem a perfect target. Also, does anyone have any information or links to resources or support groups I could send her. I feel really crap because she’s come to me for information and I don’t really have any.
She asked me if I thought she was being paranoid. No, from everything I’ve seen and heard I don’t think she is.
Please help me, if you can. I’m scared because this stuff keeps coming closer and closer to home, and we are screaming out about it and no one is listening. I have a 10 year- old son myself and I’m worried for his future.

It is not a ridiculous divert. It is what happens.

The child has not, according to the OP. You are doing the same as the people the child is talking to online.

That's outrageous. There is a world of difference between encouraging a child to self-medicate and advising parents that If they reasonably believe their child might have medicated to seek medical advice and blood tests. It's not clear what the exact situation is in this case. That is for the parents to assess. But, as a general principle, if there is a fear that a child has been self-medicating I unreservedly suggest seeking advice from a GP to check that the child hasn't done any harm.

From someone who knows that doctors are afraid not to affirm, who is an active transactivist on this board, who appropriates intersex and infertility to propagate their transactivist views, I take your motives with a skipload of salt.

I would also...

... be explaining to the child how and why self-medication is dangerous and that an unsupervised hormone regime can significantly impair the ultimate level of masculinisation / feminisation achieved.

Self-medication is bad.

YY my thoughts as well - I am not an expert in this area but self-medication should be avoided. And I take Prachet's input on board as I'm not across the detail of how they may have been groomed

Those drugs can cause those problems whether or not they are bought online or prescribed by a doctor. So I would be very careful about putting my child in a situation where they are more likely to get a prescription and take the drugs. The patent will have to make a judgement. But in the knowledge that doctors are afraid not to affirm.

Re CEOP and NSPCC: i’m worried as Pp have said that I might be directing her into the lions den. I’m more than aware that you have to be careful what you say nowadays, and to whom, and even the best intentions or worst fears could be construed as something very different. I don’t want her to go looking for help, then be told she is being transphobic and sent for ’re-education.’ She is certainly not the sort of person to be judgemental about anything, and if she has concerns then I absolutely believe she has genuine cause. I am absolutely the last person to direct a parent into a situation where they might be told their instincts are wrong, or should be ignored. I really don’t know what to do.
Snap, i’m going to shock you now, because I’m going to agree with you that if this young person had been self-medicating, I would recommend they see a doctor. Better, if medication is the only option, to take medication prescribed and controlled by a doctor than medication purchased off the Internet. I don’t believe my friend has any reason to suspect her son is doing this however, and I’m sure she would discourage it at every step, and if she thought he was then she’d probably take him herself.

Yes there was a thread in the Reddit GC sub and it had screenshots of what people were posting to children. It wasn't Reddit though - may have been Discord?

I would be inclined to limit access to the Internet in the first instance having a twofold effect of cutting out the grooming and access to medication to self-medicate. This would mean taking any phones off them too and I know from experience that is very difficult with a teen. I would attempt to contact someone like Lily Maynard as they will have a more appropriate view or Transgender Trend to see if the parent can be put in touch with people to assist and support. I think those who have gone through/are going through the same are always the best source for help in something as 'unknown' as this.

I do hope your friend and their child get the help that is best for both of them.