A HEADTEACHER is warning that some children are struggling to cope with being bombarded with non-stop messages on the internet.

Clacton County High School principal Neil Gallagher says parents' biggest concerns are about the impact social media is having on youngsters.

Mr Gallagher says he has witnessed the effects social media can have on pupils' friendships.

Writing in the school's latest newsletter, Mr Gallagher said: " The most common theme currently expressed by so many, is concern over the impact that social media platforms are having on the mental and emotional wellbeing of their child.

"I completely agree, as I too have noticed some worrying trends and have seen first-hand how some friendship issues, that happen at weekends or outside of school hours, spill over into school time, which can have a significant and detrimental impact on both learning and well-being.

"I am concerned that some of our students do not have the emotional resilience to cope with the impact of the 24/7 online bombardment that they are often exposed to."

Mr Gallagher added: "As adults, we have all probably experienced a text or email that has caught us off guard and we have the capacity to digest and consider an appropriate response.

"Often, our children find themselves catapulted into a teenage world of social media without having developed the appropriate life skills to cope with difficult situations."

The warning comes as parents are being urged to attend free sessions to find out about the perils their children face from the so-called 'dark web'.

Tendring Community Safety Partnership is staging three special information events to help parents and carers get up to date with the latest internet safety.

The dark web is part of the internet that is only accessible using software which allows users to remain anonymous and untraceable.

It cannot be navigated with normal search engines such as Google, and much of it is an online black market where people can buy goods using digital currencies such as Bitcoin and trade in illegal goods.

The National Crime Agency says the use of the dark web is continuing to rise “as an international market place for firearms, drugs and indecent images of children”.

The sessions are aimed at parents across Tendring with children in years six, seven, eight and nine, and use cases involving Essex schoolchildren to get the message across.

Partnership chairman Lynda McWilliams said parents will be shocked it will make them think again about the threat to children.

“When you think about stranger danger, you are probably thinking of a white van outside a school or a man with a dog that has just had puppies,” she said

“These sessions will take that message and turn it completely on its head.

“The presentation will not be covering issues like password security or blocking software. The aim is to bring parents totally up to date regarding the apps their children are using and how they are being directly targeted in that environment by paedophiles.”

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