Snapchat "urgently" investigating "horrific" baby abuse images allegedly shared by Gosport school pupils

The force said it was investigating a “concerning social media group” involving students at Brune Park school relating to abuse images on Snapchat. The Military Road school sent a letter to parents claiming the content had been shared among students over Snapchat.

Snapchat called the reports "horrific" and is cooperating with police over its investigation. The force said it will be working closely with schools in Gosport during its probe.

A spokesperson for Snapchat said: "These reports are horrific and our safety team is urgently investigating. Any sexual abuse of children is horrendous and has no place on Snapchat. When we are made aware of this type of content - either through our proactive detection technology or reporting -  we remove it immediately, terminate offending accounts and work with the police to support their investigations. We also provide parental controls so parents can see who their teens are talking to on Snapchat and have conversations about how to be safe online.”

A police spokesperson said: “We have been made aware of a concerning social media group being accessed by school children in the Gosport area. This is a serious incident and investigating officers will be working closely with local schools to follow up all lines of enquiry and ensure the ongoing safety of pupils.

“We are in regular contact and work with schools across the borough to address any issues and concerns that may be impacting the welfare of pupils, and provide support and resources which help young people understand the risks they may face online.

 "If you are a parent and are looking for advice on how to broach sensitive subjects with your children, you can make use of the resources for parents on the Safe4Me website here: www.safe4me.co.uk/parents. Safe4Me provides a wealth of resource to help parents, carers and education professionals address a number of issues from sexualised behaviour and online safety, to drug use and knife crime.”

A spokesperson on behalf of the Gosport and Fareham Trust, which runs the school, said: “We were made aware of concerning content being shared on social media. We took the decision to proactively contact our families to make them aware of what was being shared. We are unable to share further information as this is a police investigation.” Brune Park said on its website: "If you have immediate concerns about a child's safety, advice, guidance and support can be sought from 101 (for urgent calls to the police.) If you're worried about a child, even if you're unsure, the NSPCC helpline is 0808 800 5000."