Naturally in shock and worry, one mum has voiced her concerns over her child being pressured into sexual activity – by another child.
The woman, who is mum to an eight-year-old girl, took to the parenting channel of Reddit to ask other parents what they would do if faced with a similar situation.
She explained: “My daughter told me tonight a friend, also 8, is pressuring her to do things of a sexual nature such as touching and French kissing.
"My daughter says she doesn't like doing it but says yes because she is afraid of losing her friend.
“Her friend asks her if she likes it and she says yes, but she says she really doesn't like it at all and wishes she didn't do it.
“We had a long talk about everything, but I wanted to toss this out to you all so I can get some advice. I want to help her handle these situations...
“I'm sure this is just the first of many times she will face similar situations, with boys AND girls.”
Her fellow Reddit users were shocked by the story, with many praising her approach to dealing with the situation. Others commented on how mature it was of the little girl to open up honestly to her mother about an issue that was troubling her.
“I just wanted to say it's really great that she felt comfortable enough to come and talk to you about this. I hope my daughters are the same as they grow older.”
“It sounds like you are doing everything right. I can't give more advice then what you are already doing. Good luck.”
However, others pledged with the concerned mum to not stop there, and inform somebody else about the situation.
One user wrote: “Eight years old and pressuring your daughter to have sex? I would speak to the parents. Granted kids are exposed to sexuality in all sorts of ways. The nature of this sounds troubling.
“I'd be concerned of possible abuse to your daughter's friend. Being curious about body parts is different than knowing what sex is and being manipulative to have it. Huge huge red flags for a child this young.
“Bring it up to the parents, regardless; either way, it's not acceptable behavior. Hopefully there is no abuse.”
And other advice went along the lines of:
“This is a massive red flag. I'd definitely speak to the school but I would also consider speaking to the relevant authorities.”
“You might want to speak to the school counselor if they have one. If the other girls parents are abusing their daughter in some way, they may try and keep it on the down low if another child's parents are "onto them". And that way, it's documented in the school in case anything else happens.”
“Notifying the other parents is priority one, because they need to know, they have a stake in dealing with this, and they know their daughter's background best in case there's some underlying context.”
“Honey speak to the mother of the other child. Who knows maybe the little girl could be abused by an older person. Just be calm and talk to the mother. Good luck let us know what happens.”
What advice would YOU give this mother?
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