Alarming evidence has emerged of girls at Richmond schools being targeted by strangers – and sometimes pressured - to send them pictures.

Research across more than 4,000 pupils at primary and secondary schools in the borough highlight a series of dangers.

Under the heading internet safety, the survey found very high numbers are being approached by strangers while many are exposed to online pornography.

The Richmond Young People's Survey was developed by the Schools Health Education Unit (SHEU) in partnership

with the borough Public Health Team.

It is designed to gather young people's views on key aspects of health and wellbeing.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has highlighted the dangers of strangers grooming children online.

It warned: "Groomers may hide who they are by sending photos or videos of other people. Sometimes this'll be of someone younger than them to gain the trust of a 'peer'.

"They might target one child online or contact lots of children very quickly and wait for them to respond."

The Richmond study found that one in five (21%) children in Year 6 – aged 10-11 - chat online to people who they do not know in real life.

At the same time, more than one in seven (15%) said they had received a picture that scared them or made them

upset.

Some 7% of these very young children said someone they don't know in real life had asked to see pictures of

them.

Looking at older children, an astonishing one in four girls (24%) in year 8 – aged 12-13 – had been asked by a stranger to send them a picture.

And by the time girls were in year 10 – aged 14-15 – over half (54%) said they had been asked by a stranger for photographs or a video.

The figures for boys were much lower, but still significant, at 13% for those aged 12-13 and 27% for those aged 14-15.

The survey said a number these demands for pictures appear to be sinister.

It stated: "Older pupils are more likely to say that someone (online or in person) has threatened or pressured them to send a picture or video of themselves or show themselves on webcam."

The figure rose from 3% of those aged as young as 12 up to over one in 10 – 11% - of those aged 14-15.

Separately, 2% of secondary school children said that naked or semi-naked images of themselves had been shared without their consent.

It appears the internet is providing a potential gateway for strangers to meet youngsters face to face.

As many as one in four secondary school pupils said someone they did not know in person had asked to meet.

This week, the Children's Commissioner for England raised 'deep concerns' about access to online pornography.

Dame Rachel de Souza said this was warping the attitudes of children, particularly boys, to sex and relationships.

She said: "It should not be the case that young children are stumbling across violent and misogynistic pornography on social-media sites.

"I truly believe we will look back in 20 years and be horrified by the content to which children were being exposed.

"Let me be absolutely clear - online pornography is not equivalent to a 'top-shelf' magazine.

"The adult content which parents may have accessed in their youth could be considered 'quaint' in comparison to today's world of online pornography."

The survey of Richmond children found 65% of boys and 45% of girls in Year 10 said they have viewed pornographic images.

Some 16% of this age group said their main sources of information about sex and relationships included the internet with 6% listing pornography.

The information will be used by schools to help shape the way they teach children in the borough about internet safety and relationships.