The mum of a Glasgow schoolgirl, who was bullied and attempted to take her own life following online rape threats, has slammed social media giants for allowing kids to spread damaging content through their platforms.
The mum-of-three, who wishes to be anonymous, has called on the social media firms to clamp down on harmful and abusive content before it circulates.
Her 13-year-old daughter, from Springburn, attempted suicide last October after classmates bombarded her with vile abuse on Snapchat, reports the Daily Record.
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She was peer-pressured into sending inappropriate images to an unknown user, which were later circulated. Classmates managed to get a hold of the images, which led to a large number of threats and taunts from other pupils.
The mum has opened up amid fears for her daughter's safety. She believes stronger measures must be taken to prevent youths from sharing hateful content online.
She said: "When my daughter wasn't getting bullied in school, she was coming home and getting bullied online. It was 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The pictures were sent into group chats and spread so fast. These companies must be able to see what content is being shared far and wide, and identify what is harmful.
"They pick and choose what goes against their guidelines, and in our circumstance, it was child abuse."
The mum also believes that the age requirements to create an account should be raised from 13 to 16 by tech companies- after her daughter was targetted by horrific levels of abuse.
She continued: "I don't understand why kids are being allowed onto these apps. The age should be raised to 16. There is a level of maturity that doesn't exist at 13."
Fake accounts were also created solely for the purpose of tormenting her daughter online. The schoolgirl received online and in-person rape threats before she attempted suicide.
The mum added: "She got a lot of abuse from people in her school who had seen the images, even in the corridors as she walked from classes. One boy threw cake at her and then threatened to rape her.
"She received these threats online, too. The online bullying got so constant to a point where she couldn't take it anymore and she attempted to take her own life. We got to her on time, but I absolutely dread to think what would have happened if we didn't.
"This has been horrific for my wee girl, she just wanted to go to school and live a normal life like all the other pupils. But it's still following her online and it's not something we can just forget about.
"Her anxiety is awful and she can't make it past the front door on her own. I don't know if she will ever fully feel safe again."
Local Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said the incident is another example of why the Online Safety Bill must be passed through the House of Commons to keep young people safe.
He said: "Time and time again we hear of young people being subjected to horrific levels of abuse and bullying online, it is incumbent on social media giants to stamp it out. We cannot waste any more time pandering to global tech corporations.
"The Online Safety Bill is the perfect vehicle to do that, I would encourage the government to accept amendments laid in the House of Lords that would ensure social media platforms are legally obligated to follow a code of practice on preventing violence against women and girls."
A spokesperson for Snapchat said: "If Snapchatters experience or witness any bullying or harassment, we encourage them to report it immediately using our confidential, easy in-app reporting tools so we can investigate and take action. We want Snapchat to be a safe and positive place for everyone who uses it and we have additional safeguarding measures in place for under 18s.
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “The school supported the family with a range of extensive measures including counselling. All allegations relating to the school were investigated and the appropriate action taken.”
Help and support is available at:
Samaritans - 116 123 (24hr) Calls are free & confidential. Email jo@samaritans.org - for people experiencing distress or despair, including those that could lead to suicide.
ChildLine 0800 1111 - a free 24-hour helpline for children and young people in the UK.
For help and support for your mental health, speak to your GP or if out of hours, call NHS 24 on 111.
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