PARENTS have been warned of an app that allows users to exchange secret messages and time them to self-destruct.

North Kidlington Primary School has written to parents about a messaging app called Telegram, after noticing that some pupils had been using it.

The app launched in 2013 and has accumulated hundreds of millions of users, but some are concerned that the platform is being abused by sexual predators and terrorists.

It works in a similar manner to WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, using the internet to allow free exchange of messages, pictures, videos and files on a variety of devices.

North Kidlington's headteacher Emilie Fidler told parents: "Telegram messenger is similar to Whatsapp but it has further encryption and messages are able to be destroyed, which means that they can be hidden from parents.

"User names are searchable by anyone using the app, secret messaging is encouraged and there is a history of adult content being shared on this platform."

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She voiced her concerns last month via a post on the school's website, and highlighted 'highly inappropriate phone use' by some children in Year 5 and 6.

The head advised parents to 'regularly supervise' children's phone use and to keep track of their passwords and apps.

Ms Fidler told the Oxford Mail that the app was one of several that she knew children in the school had been using.

She added: "I know communicating via messaging apps is part of life for children today, but it is vital that parents are able to access the messages to ensure their children are safe and also exhibiting appropriate behaviour themselves, just as we would in real life.

"Apps like Telegram bother me as they take away the ability for us to 'parent' our children while they are online."

The headteacher said she was concerned about the use of apps not designed for young children, such as Tik Tok, Instagram and Snapchat.

She explained: "It is leading to a significant increase in anxiety, inappropriate image sharing, bullying and vulnerability to grooming.

"Much of this is coming into school for us to deal with as it is very hard for parents to fix when it goes wrong."

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According to Net-aware.org.uk, a joint online safety venture between the NSPCC and O2, users on Telegram can also receive messages from people they do not know.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: "The NSPCC urges parents to have regular and informal chats with their child about issues surrounding apps like this one, exploring them together and showing the child how to block and report anything that makes them feel upset or uncomfortable.

"But it’s not a parent’s sole responsibility to protect their child online - the NSPCC is calling for new laws to be brought in as soon as possible, to force tech companies to do more to protect children from online sexual abuse.

"Those who fail in their duty of care should face hefty fines and even criminal prosecution."

A list of frequently-asked questions on Telegram's own website includes an apparent dig at the critics.

It states: "Will you have ads? Or sell my data? Or steal my beloved and enslave my children?"

'No', is the answer listed.

Under the question 'what if I'm more paranoid than your regular user?' the answer is: "Telegram’s special secret chats use end-to-end encryption, leave no trace on our servers, support self-destructing messages and don’t allow forwarding.

"On top of this, secret chats are not part of the Telegram cloud and can only be accessed on their devices of origin."

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Further explanation of the secret chats states: "Only you and the recipient can read those messages.

"You can order your messages, photos, videos and files to self-destruct in a set amount of time after they have been read or opened by the recipient.

"The message will then disappear from both your and your friend's devices."

An investigation was published online on Sunday by Wired magazine, which focuses on emerging technologies, entitled 'how Telegram became a safe haven for pro-terror Nazis'.

The app was banned in Russia in 2018, over refusal to grant the security services access to user communications, as required by anti-terrorism law there.

Apple temporarily pulled Telegram from its App Store that same year, due to child sex abuse images shared on the app.

Telegram does have a team who deal with and can take down any illegal material shared on the platform, but only for publicly available content - it does not process complaints relating to material shared on private chats.