A COUNCILLOR has warned parents to be careful of their children using mobile phones.

Merfyn Parry, county councillor for Llandyrnog, said many children have received new phones for Christmas but they come with a risk. He said he has received concerns over the use of popular social media sites that children tend to use.

Cllr Parry said that while parents are responsible in making sure their children are safe they may not be “up to speed” with technology and social media.

It followed a Freedom of Information Request by The Guardian that found 6,000 children under 14 have been investigated by police for sexting offences in the past three years. It also revealed there has been a rise in the number of investigations annually since 2017.

“I’m sure most parents are very responsible regarding their children’s safety but unfortunately they are not all up to speed with the technology and impact of being visible on social media sites,” Cllr Parry said.

“As with any internet site, there are always people who will take advantage of the vulnerability of youth. There are no restrictions as far as I’m aware for convicted sex offenders not to use social media sites.

“It’s always a worry regarding any safeguarding issues with my family and everyone else’s families.”

Ofcom’s parents guide for buying mobile phones includes using in-built parental control settings, discussing with your child the types of content you’d be unhappy for them to receive or share, and the kinds of apps they should not install.

Cllr Parry added: “If parents read this and it makes them take a few measures to safeguard their children then I feel we have achieved something good.”