CHILDREN shared their experiences of online abuse at a Middlesbrough primary school on Wednesday.

Concerns around cyberbullying, grooming and abusive messages from strangers were voiced by youngsters at Beech Grove Primary School during a visit from the NSPCC.

Parents were invited to take part in an online safety workshop before pupils were encouraged to “speak out and stay safe” during a special assembly hosted by the charity’s representatives.

The NSPCC’s first visit to the school comes just days before the Government is expected to introduce powerful new anti-grooming laws that will make it a criminal offence for adults to groom children by sending sexual messages.

Beech Grove pupils Millie, Taylor and Farida have all received worrying messages while using popular apps and games designed for children.

The trio shared tales of cyberbullying with The Northern Echo before admitting they had all been approached by strangers online.

Ten-year-old Taylor was sent sexually explicit threats aimed at his mother while Farida, 11, said a stranger had targeted her and a friend, demanding money and threatening them.

Millie, 11, has been bullied online and said it was worrying that it was so easy for strangers to approach children through apps.

The school’s parent support advisor, Sue Green, invited the NSPCC to Beech Grove after realising such problems were increasing.

Ms Green said: “This is a real worry and we want to encourage parents to talk to children about safety when using technology, to make sure they know what their children are up to online and to use parental guidance with apps.

“We want to instil this guidance and events like this really help.”

The NSPCC is currently visiting schools across the region to share advice on keeping children safe online and are advising parents to “explore the online world together, talk to your child about staying safe online, manage the software and tools your family use and agree rules about what’s ok and what’s not.”