Mermaid's chatroom is dodgy af. What a shock.

[mirax]

Times' latest article exposes dodgy activities and blatant lack of safeguards for vulnerable teens on the charity's chatroom:

Unbeknown to Katie, her son had joined the charity’s youth forum, a private online community for 12-19 year-olds who are struggling with gender issues. Parents and carers are not allowed. No proof of ID or age is required, only an email address.

Once signed up, he entered an online world where vulnerable children seeking support with others in similar pain, share their personal details, including phone numbers, email addresses and social media handles, under the apparently approving supervision of Mermaids moderators.

archive.ph/EzZ0b

I think the fact that they see no issue with 12 year olds potentially chatting and swapping details with 18/19 year olds says it all really. Has anyone there had even the most basic safeguarding training I wonder?

I don't agree about Childline. If they do the checks as they say in The Times, then either they've had a rocket put up them (seeing the incoming and £££-making potential and need to be squeaky clean), or what I've seen on there is apparently OK by them. I would say it's not.

Don't forget who oversees Childline - the NSPCC. Sorry but no. Not reassured at all.

And they all knew. Everyone knew. They all ignored it and/or threw mud at those raising concerns, hoping it would go away. It hasn't. The only reason it's still going is because of parents and the fourth estate. Not the very people whose actual job it is.

Colour me shocked.

A disgusting abuse of power. As Red says, from the top down.

It's rotten to the core and so many children and families have paid the price, sadly.

I agree. Let's not forget who Childline appointed as its first LGBT+ campaigner:

NSPCC and Childline's approach to safeguarding:

Everyone knew.

Everyone in authority turned a blind eye.

Cos trans is trendy.

This. I am sure concerns have been raised about mermaids chat rooms before.

Without fail every time something women raised concerns about happens we get cries of

" where are the feminists now/ where have the feminists been"

With no comprehension that they have been visited by police , fired ,been sent death/rape threats etc akd been blocked from every thread going amd/or thrown off twitter /thrown out of groups.

Somehow its still our fault

JKR thread on the Bannerman story, and PN's take on it:

twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1576255026456326145?s=46&t=prZcXhGybmtlz5O6Da08hA

Thanks. Interesting to see PN editor Benjamin Cohen (husband a former Mermaids Trustee) so ardently involved in internet safety discussions.

A reminder that he founded the 'hunt4porn' webisite.

www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/benjamin-cohen-mum-this-is-my-porn-empire-9241375.html

Grim.

It's evidently a bad idea for any social support group to include under 16s with over 16s, anyone can see that's open to abuse. I wonder who their safeguarding officer is? My child has cancer and none of the charities seem to have social media groups that are even open to under 16s, let alone mixing teens and adults. Wasn't there an excellent cricketer recently whose mum had to join her cricket team's WhatsApp group with her as she was a minor?!