By Russell Findlay

A young woman was shocked to discover photos of herself as a teenager were 'stolen' from Facebook and posted on the Russian website used by paedophiles.

STV News found images of pupils from at least eight Scottish schools on the site, which is described as "child porn hiding in plain sight".

But it contains even more images which have been taken from young people's Facebook, Instagram and other social media.

We contacted one victim after an STV News journalist recognised her photos - harvested without her knowledge from her Facebook account when she was a teenager.

Now in her 20s, she said: "Somebody's gone on and stolen my images. It's disgusting. You don't know who is looking at these pictures.

"I mean, some of them actually had comments under them and that is so vile.

"It just shows you what can actually happen just by not taking care of your Facebook and making sure it's private."

After reporting it to Police Scotland, she was told there was nothing they could do as her photos had not been hacked but were taken from public posts.

She has also emailed the Russian website asking for the photos to be removed but got no reply. Even if they are taken down, she has since found the same photos on other similar websites.

"I don't even know if anybody's monitoring email but I've clearly stated in it I did not give permission for these pictures to be up", she said.

"Even trying to get them down on that one website, I don't know where else they are.

"Things like that can really hurt people and sometimes it can actually push people over the edge and it's not right. I really wish I could close the whole site down."

Another concern is that anyone who happens to recognise her may suspect she posted the photos herself.

Asked what she would say to the person who posted her photos, she said: "I'd love to know who they are because I would definitely say to them, 'what are you doing, why are you even doing something like this?'."

Parents are urged to speak to their children about what they are doing online.

The charity NSPCC says this is the best way to maximise children's online safety.

Their advice includes exploring sites and apps together and asking children if they know how to stay safe online.

It is also useful to discuss what information is personal and what should be shared.

The charity offers a template 'family agreement' which can set out clear rules.

The agreement can include asking a child's permission before posting photos of them on social media.

Advice on setting up parental controls to block upsetting and harmful content can also be found.

A guide to the potential dangers of some of the most popular apps and games can be found here.