All of what you say is valid, and the loathsome people who are doing this are the absolute dregs.

BUT, and I've said this before, so much comes down to parents not knowing what their kids are up to. It's all very well saying that kids need space, and they do need a place to go and be private. But they should not be able to access the Internet unsupervised until they are 18 at least. No smartphones, laptops, tablets and so forth. Games consoles and PCs with internet connections should be in the living room/family room and an adult should always be present when they are being used. Kids should not have the necessary passwords to access online functions. Time on the devices should be limited. Social media should not be accessible.

It's called discipline and parental resonsibility and it's terribly old-fashioned, but we need to get back to a clear definition of childhood. Too many of us are treating kids like small adults, and they aren't! Too many of us are treating teenagers as if they are mentally competent and able to make sensible decisions, rather than being the blithering idiots they actually are. Of course, they need our help in coping with the consequences of foolish actions, but equally, they need us to make sure that there are some mistakes they are simply not allowed to make!