Parents across Scotland are being warned of the potential dangers facing children online from social media sites.

A new report from NSPCC Scotland has found that four out of five children didn't feel social media sites protected them from bullying, self-harm and exposure to pornography.

It follows figures from Childline which showed that the helpline carried out 873 counselling sessions in 2015/16 across Scotland for bullying, with many reporting problems with online bullying.

The report comes in the wake of the Reporter's coverage last month of a young girl being saved on Dumbarton Bridge by a passer-by after being a victim of cyber bullying.

Head of NSPCC Scotland, Matt Forde said: “Social media is a great way for young people to stay in touch with their friends but our research clearly shows that children do not feel that they are shielded from upsetting, dangerous, and adult content. It’s vital parents know about their child’s online world and regularly talk with their children about how to get help if they need it.

“We all know that the internet develops at breakneck speed and it can feel nearly impossible to keep up with all of the constantly changing sites, games, and apps that young people use."

One social media trend causing particular concern is 'Snapchat streaks', where users send messages back and forth for a continuous number of days, with the feature often being used as a challenge to maintain the streak.

Campaigners are fearing the streaks are increasingly being used as a test of friendship, with pressure being put on children to spend longer and longer on their phones in order to maintain the streak, for fear of being threatened or bullied if they break it.

Mandy Haeburn-Little, chief executive of the Scottish Business Resilience Centre, said: “Smart-phones and apps are very much part of growing up in today’s culture – but many parents lack an understanding of the intricacies of these apps.

“What has happened with Snapchat Streaks is that it has created a scoring system – a bit like the compulsion to continue sharing as seen in pyramid schemes - that is now endangering children.

“These ‘streaks’ may seem like a harmless bit of fun; however they have the risk of very quickly spiralling and creating an unhealthy balance between time spent online and offline.