Displaying items by tag: child safety

A concerning rise in online sextortion cases among children in the UK has been revealed, with nearly 400 incidents reported to the Report Remove helpline last year - a 23% increase. Alarmingly, 98% of these reports came from boys aged 14 to 17, highlighting a significant and growing vulnerability among young males. Sextortion involves criminals coercing children into sharing sexual images and then blackmailing them - either for money or further content - under threat of exposure. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) confirmed a sharp increase in overall reports of sexual imagery, with over 1,100 verified cases in 2025 alone. Experts warn that shame, fear, and isolation often prevent young people from seeking help, while the psychological impact can be severe and long-lasting. Encouragingly, increased reporting suggests growing awareness and willingness to seek support. There are calls for stronger safeguards, including technology to prevent image-sharing and better-targeted education to protect vulnerable children.

Barnet Council has applied to the High Court for an injunction to shut down Heathside Preparatory School, which charges between £9,000 and £18,000 a year and intends expanding to a new Hampstead site. The school is currently scattered across six buildings, including a church and a synagogue, and its attempt to take over a seventh premises has prompted furious backlash from locals. Parents and ex-staff are pursuing legal claims over a string of management failures, including 15 pupils having to leave because Heathside was offering GCSEs without DofE permission. There are allegations that a staff member took Year 9 students off school premises and returned drunk, and in 2018 the head-teacher tried to block the publication of a damning Ofsted report flagging multiple safeguarding issues. Since the start of this academic year, pupils and teachers have been leaving ‘in droves’.