Murray Dowey, a 16-year-old from Dunblane, was targeted by a sextortion scammer in the hours before he took his own life. Now his parents are raising awareness of this increasingly prevalent crime. Libby Brooks reports

On the evening of 29 December, 16-year-old Murray Dowey was with his family in their home in Dunblane, Scotland. As they sat together watching TV, Murray talked about saving up money for a summer holiday with his friends.

At about 9.30pm, he went up to his bedroom.

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The UK regulator has been criticised by grieving families and internet abuse survivors for failing to engage with them

Bereaved parents and abuse survivors who have endured years of “preventable, life-changing harm” linked to social media say they have been denied a voice in official discussions about holding tech firms to account.

Mariano Janin, whose ­daughter Mia, 14, killed herself after online bullying , and the parents of Oliver Stephens, 13, who was murdered after a dispute on social media , are among those who have accused Ofcom of excluding them from a ­consultation process for tackling online harms.

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Hind Rajab was six years old when she was killed in Gaza. So why did a CNN host refer to her as ‘a woman’?

Trapped in a bullet-ridden car in Gaza City, surrounded by her dead relatives, six-year-old Hind Rajab pleaded with the Red Crescent for help. That help, in the form of a medical team, eventually came – only to be slaughtered on arrival. Hind was killed, too, her decomposing body found weeks later.

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Consequences of sharing nude images and subsequent threat of blackmail can be devastating. Talk to your child, say experts

“I’m naked on cam now I’ll call you. Answer the call don’t be shy.”

The teenage boy did as he was told by the girl he had been chatting with over social media. The next message was chilling: “If you don’t want to get into trouble, you better listen. I’ve enough to destroy you.”

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Authorities described the student as a juvenile male but did not provide further identification or specifics pending an investigation

Wisconsin police shot and killed a student whom officials say came to a local middle school with a gun. The student never got into the school, but as a precaution the entire district was put on a lockdown late Wednesday morning.

Students have since been reunited with their parents, some of whom waited up to five hours for their children to be dropped at a bus storage center in Mount Horeb, a village about 20 miles south-west of Madison, the state capital, according to WMTV 15 news.

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Bite Back, a Jamie Oliver campaign group, found the 10 biggest producers reel in young shoppers with attention-grabbing colours and cartoons

Food companies are using bright colours and cartoon characters in an “unethical” effort to manipulate children into wanting the sweets and crisps they make, a report has claimed.

Bite Back, a campaign group that is part of the chef Jamie Oliver’s empire, asked nutrition experts to analyse 262 sweet food products sold in the UK with packaging likely to appeal to children made by the 10 biggest food companies.

78% of products were deemed unhealthy because of their fat, salt or sugar content.

67% of those featuring a character were unhealthy.

80% of products used bright colours as well as fun patterns and lettering to attract children’s attention.

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The European hospital is crammed with severely injured and dying children – a military offensive here will be catastrophic

• James Elder is Unicef’s global spokesperson

The war against Gaza’s children is forcing many to close their eyes. Nine-year-old Mohamed’s eyes were forced shut, first by the bandages that covered a gaping hole in the back of his head, and second by the coma caused by the blast that hit his family home. He is nine. Sorry, he was nine. Mohamed is now dead.

Over three visits to the European hospital’s ICU in Rafah, Gaza, I saw multiple children occupy the same bed. Each one arriving after a bomb had ripped through their home. Each one dying despite doctors’ immense efforts.

James Elder is Unicef’s global spokesperson

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Ofcom told website for adult performers failed to properly implement age verification checks for under-18s

The UK communications watchdog has opened an investigation into whether OnlyFans allowed children to view pornography on its website following an age-checking error.

The regulator Ofcom is investigating the platform, which has a minimum user age of 18 and hosts mostly adult content for paying subscribers , over claims of inadequate age verification measures. It is also investigating whether OnlyFans gave “complete and accurate” responses to information requests.

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Equalities minister claims female pupils didn’t want to use gender-neutral toilets, and calls for people to report institutions

Kemi Badenoch has claimed that girls at a school who did not have access to single-sex toilets developed urinary tract infections because they did not want to use gender-neutral toilets.

The equalities minister has launched a call for input, asking people to report public bodies that fail to provide single-sex spaces, or have policies not in accordance with the Equalities Act.

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