A MUM is warning other parents to be vigilant over their children's social media accounts after her 10-year-old son was sent an explicit image on Snapchat.

The boy, from Newton-le-Willows, uses Snapchat to organise meeting with friends to play football at Crown Street Park in Earlestown.

However, after accepting what seemed like a genuine friend request from a local girl, he was sent a disturbing explicit photograph, which has prompted his mum to speak out.

She said: "He has Snapchat on his phone and when he is playing football with his friends I can make sure he is where he says he is and he is told any time someone tries to send a friend request you have to come and show me first."

She added her son was sent a friend request, which appeared to have been from a girl who lived in the area, so she allowed it to be accepted.

However, it transpired the account was not what it seemed and attempted to get her son to meet up at a nearby park and sent him an explicit image of a girl on the evening of Monday, September 27.

"It asked him to meet up in the park the following day and sent a picture of a naked girl," she added.

"I replied, as if I was him, saying 'Why have you sent that?' and 10 minutes later it said: 'Do you want some more pictures?' so I said 'I'm too young, I shouldn't be doing this'.

"It said 'I won't tell if you won't'."

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Realising the account was not genuine, she contacted the police about the matter.

She added: "The police have said they have reason to believe it could be a person in another country but the park in Earlestown is known locally as 'Yellow Park' and the person has been saying the 'Yellow Park'. It's impossible, in my opinion, that it is someone abroad.

"The people they have contacted have all been on the same estate."

The mum added: "I want to raise awareness to others. I have his Snapchat set up so I can see his location and see if he gets a message.

"Some parents don't do that. I'm hoping this might prompt other parents to say to their children, you can have it but any friend requests, you show it to me.

"I believed that was actually a 13-year-old girl and then it sent him those photos.

"If parents ask their children to show them friend requests that could be the difference."