There are fears that a dangerous trend where children are filmed being attacked and the footage put out on social media will end in tragedy.
Industry experts believe the growing craze is seen as "sport" and "amusement" and could lead to a child being killed with the result shared on social media. Last week the ECHO covered a worrying case where a 12-year-old girl was lured to a park and set by a gang of children in a sickening attack filmed on mobile phones.
The video footage shared with the ECHO showed the girl being dragged to the floor, punched in the face and kicked by another girl. Children knocked on the girl's front door and asked her to come to the park before she was subjected to an attack that Merseyside Police branded as "despicable and cowardly".
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While the girl was being assaulted, what appeared to be around a dozen other children gathered around cheering on the attacker. One child could be heard in the video footage saying "smash her head in" and "chat s*** get banged" during the assault which happened in Kirkby's Old Rough Park on the afternoon of Saturday, April 22.
Several of the children who stood watching the attack had their mobile phones out filming, with one child launching a kick at the victim. The motive of the attack remains unclear, but the result was shared extensively on social media in the following days.
Courageously, the 12-year-old victim's mum spoke with the ECHO in the days following the assault to warn of the growing trend. The mum, who the ECHO isn't naming to protect the identity of her daughter and extended family, said: "I can't watch the videos - they are sickening. It shocked me to see this - she's not a fighter.
"These kids are feral - I've never seen anything like it. I think the most shocking part of it was the way boys who didn't even know her were joining in. You had older boys kicking her in the head. It was absolutely vile. I want to draw attention to it to try and make sure their parents are aware of what they did. This is how bad these children are."
The mum and her daughter have moved away from Kirkby and are looking for housing and a school space on the Wirral. Merseyside Police confirmed a week after the assault that a 12-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of Section 47 assault causing actual bodily harm. She was released under investigation while police looked to identify all involved.
Christine Pratt is the founder of the National Bullying Helpline, a service that advises those at risk of bullying. Ms Pratt told the ECHO the helpline's website receives 4,000 clicks a day, with a high percentage involving children who have been cyber-bullied.
Ms Pratt said: "What's happening is really disturbing. Parents report it to us when they hear about what has happened but a lot of the time they don't hear. The behaviour of videoing the assault and putting it on social media is ongoing intimidation and cyber bullying.
"It is seen as sport and amusement by the children involved. There will be a tragedy if something isn't done. I honestly don't think something will be done until it happens to a politician's child. But we also don't know that there hasn't already been a tragedy - child suicide is on the rise at the moment and we know how traumatising these incidents are for those involved."
Earlier this week footage was shared of another assault in Old Rough Park which saw a girl, 13, assaulted by a gang of teenagers. The footage, taken at around 8pm on May 3, showed the girl being punched and stamped on in a prolonged attack that her parents said was the culmination of six months of severe bullying.
The teenager's parents told the ECHO she sustained severe cuts and bruising during the attack - and added they are moving from the area and changing schools due to the "disgusting" violence. Her mum claimed her daughter has self-harmed due to the bullying and the ongoing physical threat.
What was even more worrying was the presence of older children at the attack who filmed it on their mobile phones. A girl, believed to be 17, can be heard shouting: "Go on, dig her, kick her in the face, punch her in the face not the back of her head" during the attack.
The victim's mum said: "Do you know as a mother and a parent, not being there to protect your child from people who think they can harm my daughter, and mark her body. I had to watch that video, of a 17 year-old-girl videoing it. It broke me."
And when asked her thoughts on people standing by and filming the attack, she added: "I think they're just as bad. They shouldn't video it. They should ring the police, or ring a parent to say there's someone fighting, come and stop it. People need to come together and have a word with their kids, and be normal people. No hate."
But the worrying craze hasn't just escalated in recent weeks. Leanne Bennett, from Seaforth, contacted the ECHO in May last year after her daughter Maddison was attacked by a gang of children after getting off a bus. The then 13-year-old was kicked in the back because being pushed to the floor and hit in the head.
A second girl pulled Maddison's hair while her friend stamped on her head. Leanne told the ECHO: "When I got there she was crying and told me what happened. She said they were posting the video on Snapchat. I was so angry."
Nearly a year on, Leanne told the ECHO how her daughter now suffers with her mental health. She said: "The children who did it live on my street and kick my door when they're passing my house. They shouted through the open window once calling her a slag.
"My mum said a lot of her neighbours won't go out late at night because of the kids in the area. Seaforth isn't like it used to be. The children who attacked my daughter have done it to others. My daughter hasn't been attacked again but the threat is still there because she sees them every day."
Ms Pratt told the ECHO: "Some children will goad and participate, but others will observe and be traumatised by it and unable to report it. It's very, very serious - it's an escalating trend.
"Why? I do not know, but I think we can liken it to the culture around us. You see the example the government is setting - they are in the news every week with bullying accusations.
"Schools need a code of practice to encourage children to come forward with information. We recently had a private school in London seek advice from the helpline after an attack was observed by 20 students. None of the onlookers felt safe enough to report it and it came to light weeks on.
"There needs to be a collaborative approach between services like our own, the police and schools so children feel comfortable. A lot of the time schools also deal with these issues internally and the results are never shared.
"We must accept the internet is a powerful tool for education, but it should be regulated. There should be a process to access it. Why do 10 or 11 year olds need a phone and access to the internet? The internet is the devil's playground."
Community policing superintendent Karl Baldwin said: "The social media video showing the assault of a 12-year-old girl in Old Rough Park on April 22 was completely reprehensible. To attack someone in this manner is appalling, but to also record it on a mobile phone and then share it online is even worse and something we take extremely seriously at Merseyside Police.
"To be the victim of an assault can be traumatic, but to then see it being shared online must be incredibly humiliating. We will continue to support any victim who finds themselves in this situation and do all we can to bring those responsible to justice.
"Nobody wants to live in a community where this behaviour is commonplace, accepted or normalised. It is not. I would urge parents to make sure they know where their children are when they are out and about in the local community.
"The actions of children, or anyone, who commits anti-social behaviour or more serious offences cannot be tolerated and we would ask parents to play their part in ensuring their children don’t end up on the wrong side of the law. Furthermore, if parents are aware that their child has committed an offence, they should do the right thing and contact us.
"If you are a victim of any form of abuse, whether it’s physical or verbal, or you are worried for the safety or wellbeing of a child, please get in touch with us right away."
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