Paedophiles are posing online as chicken nuggets and ice cream to make friends with children.

Paedophiles are setting up fake online accounts pretending to be snack food companies or community groups to befriend children.

Social media has seen predators pose as children online in order to gain access to other youngsters.

An expert has warned that sex offenders have "new and novel ways of gaining access to our children's information".


Dr. Maureen Griffin, a forensic psychologist, has said that fake accounts were a big issue in endangering the wellbeing of children.

"At primary school level, I have dealt with accounts set up pretending to be chicken nuggets and ice-cream in order to friend children," Dr. Griffin said.

One example she recalled was when a sex offender took advantage of trust in a community. The paedophile posed as a group for the road on which there was a girls' school located.

"Over 400 girls at the school accepted the road as a friend. The owner of the account was a known, convicted sex offender who made no effort to contact the girls. He collected their photos, pictures from teenage discos, girls' sleepovers and selfies."

Dr. Griffin warned that any site aimed at children will have adults who have a sexual interest in children using it as well.


She used musical.ly as an example.

She said: “ took off by storm here a year ago at primary school level. When it started, it was a very, very cute site. It was a place where children could lip synch to their favourite songs and involves short little videos of the children dancing around singing their songs and posting the videos online.

“It is for 5, 6 and 7 year olds and I dealt with a case during the Summer of a girl on , who had 20 followers - she did not know four of them.”

She said: “One of her followers told her that he would get her more likes for her songs if she sang her song again - this time in her underwear.”