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Warning to Parents about a Dangerous Group on WhatsApp

The National Cyber Security Centre SK-CERT (hereinafter referred to as “SK-CERT”) warns parents about the group “Add as many people as possible” (Přidej co nejvíc lidí) on the social media platform Whatsapp, which is currently spreading among primary school pupils in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. According to reports from the Czech Republic, the group makes pornographic content, explicit videos of murders and suicides available to children.

The group has been around for a longer time (at least since August 2023), but it only has come to attention recently when some schools in the Czech Republic warned about it. The group urges its members to spread the word among their friends and reportedly tries to keep them even with threats and repeated invitations. It is not possible to become a member of a WhatsApp group by someone’s own activity, it must always come in the form of an invitation from someone who is already in the group.

Recommendations:

  • Check your children’s mobile phones. Check in which groups in social networking they communicate.
  • If you find out that they are in a group with suspicious or illegal content, we recommend reporting the situation to the police. Also check whether the child has already communicated in the group and what information they have potentially disclosed about themselves.
  • After reporting to the police and taking the necessary actions, or after finding out that it is not illegal content, you can leave the group and block it.
  • Educate children about the type of information they must not share in social networking with people they do not know from the physical world, for example:
  • name,
  • address,
  • age,
  • the class they attend,
  • any photos, including vacation photos,
  • names, phone numbers and contact details of other friends and acquaintances.
  • Parents are also advised to take special care when dealing with potentially discovered content. According to current legislation, the distribution of child pornography is a crime, so if you come across this type of content, do not, under any circumstances, make your own backups, evidence or send them to other people. In this case, always leave any handling of the content to the police.
  • Parental control apps that can limit a child’s access to certain types of apps, such as social networking sites, can also be used to protect mobile devices. Parental control apps often offer age-appropriate profiles and provide a detailed overview of which apps a child has used.
  • Social networking apps may provide more advanced options for content management, blocking of unwanted contacts, or a feature to report harmful content. Familiarize yourself with these features so that you can use them when needed.
  • Take an interest in your children and discuss cyber hygiene with them. Create a friendly atmosphere by communicating with your children so that they are not afraid to speak up when they are not sure.

 

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