Edinburgh secondary school pupils are being targeted as part of a vile TikTok cyberbullying trend.
The anonymous social media accounts, set up during the school Easter holidays, pick on pupils by leaving nasty comments - including those of a sexual nature.
Accompanying the slurs are clues as to a pupil's identity and even partial images of faces as peers are encouraged to guess their identity.
Schools including the Royal High School and James Gillespie's are among those to see youngsters targeted with derogatory messages.
Children's charity NSPCC has warned of the harmful' and 'dangerous' long term impact the videos are likely to have.
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The trend is loosely based on the game Guess Who, with each post leaving clues based on the child's appearance.
The twisted catch with this malicious version are the vile comments and claims. In one example, a picture of a girl and her initials is captioned: "s***", s****** in a toilet, edits her Instagram pictures."
Other students then post in the comments about who they think it is. The trend appears to have started at the Royal High School, and spread to other schools across the city.
Schools mentioned so far include Leith Academy, St David's High and James Gillespie's.
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Some allegations in the "guess who" type game are more serious accusing fellow pupils of sexual assault and racism.
Most include a photo of part of the individual's face, along with their initials and a number of clues.
One of the cruel clues reads: "Thinks she has friends but nobody likes her and nobody ever will."
And another: "s**** herself when approached by a group of girls" - suggesting that one individual is being bullied and harassed at school.
Others contain homophobic remarks and worrying statements such as "pics got sent around" of a student.
An NSPCC Scotland spokesperson said: “Social media posts like this which share rumours and insulting remarks can have a harmful effect on the children who find themselves mentioned in the messages.
"Though online bullying takes place virtually, it can cause the same kinds of anxieties and harm as physical bullying, but with a far bigger audience.
“There is still work to do to strengthen the Online Safety Bill to make sure it tackles abuse and bullying, and ensures that children get the online protection they need."
They added: “The advice for parents and carers is that they should have regular conversations with their children about social media, apps or games they use.
"And they should make sure they understand how to report any inappropriate comments or content, and how to block any accounts they find upsetting.
"Children can also contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit www.childline.org.uk and parents with concerns about a child’s wellbeing can call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk.”
A City of Edinburgh Council spokesman condemned any form of bullying within the capital's schools.
He added: “Respecting each other, keeping safe online and building healthy relationships are at the core of our approach when it comes to dealing with bullying in schools.
"Education can play a pivotal role in helping young people recognise what constitutes acceptable online behaviour and how to treat each other with respect and dignity.
"Any form of bullying is completely unacceptable and pupils and parents/carers are encouraged to share concerns so complaints can be thoroughly investigated in line with our anti-bullying policies.”
A Midlothian Council spokeswoman said and form of bullying is investigated by the authority.
She added: “Midlothian Council is committed to protecting all pupils from any forms of bullying by other children and young people.
"Any form of bullying is unacceptable, including prejudice-based bullying and cyber-bullying.
"Reports of bullying are investigated and dealt with in line with anti-bullying policy.”
TikTok has been contacted for comment.
