Primary School Children Taught to Protect Themselves from County Lines Drug Gangs A primary school in Somerset is teaching children as young as nine how to protect themselves from exploitation by drug gangs, as county lines operations evolve to target younger victims through social media. The lesson uses props like fake knives and Kinder Eggs to illustrate the dangers, highlighting the growing threat of criminal networks preying on vulnerable children. In a quiet classroom in a Somerset primary school, a lesson unfolds that no child should ever have to experience. It’s a bright Wednesday afternoon in Bridgwater, a town struggling with economic decline. Outside, the playground is dotted with small scooters, while inside, the walls are adorned with children’s drawings—rainbows, animals, and stick figures—alongside their careful attempts at handwriting. The students, still young with grazed knees and gap-toothed smiles, are learning to read and spell. But the lesson taking place is far more sinister.At the front of the room, a teacher unzips a bag and begins placing items on the table: a mobile phone, a vape, rolled-up banknotes, a fake knife, and an empty Kinder Egg. These objects serve as props in a lesson designed to teach nine- and ten-year-olds how to protect themselves from exploitation by gangs dealing in hard drugs. The Kinder Egg, for instance, can be used to hide class A drugs like crack cocaine.The children are unaware that their town has become a target for a sprawling £500 million criminal network. The headteacher later reveals that even younger children, in Key Stage One, are being drawn into these activities without understanding the consequences. Outside, daffodils bloom, but inside, the children are being shown how a seemingly innocent message on their phone—an offer of money or a request to carry something—can lead to something far more dangerous.Many boys are recruited into county lines operations at a young age, often through social media platforms like Snapchat. The school, alerted to signs of exploitation, has enlisted Escapeline, a charity dedicated to preventing the grooming of young people by gangs across the South West, to run this prevention session. This is the new front line in what is known as ‘county lines’—gang networks that move drugs from cities into towns and coastal areas, often using young people as couriers.While county lines may seem distant to some, the drugs moved by exploited children often end up in affluent suburbs, university towns, and campus nightlife, where demand is high. There are now over 6,500 active lines across England, Scotland, and Wales, with at least 27,000 teenagers and children—4,000 in London alone—trapped within this system.For the latest episode of the Mail’s investigative video series, Underground UK, I traveled across the country to research what those on the ground are calling ‘County Lines 2.0. ’ I found that the model of criminality is evolving faster than police, parents, or policymakers can keep up with. Recruitment is moving online—through Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, gaming platforms, and private group chats—allowing gangs to reach children younger, faster, and out of sight of adults.Group chats play a significant role in this. I could be added by someone from the other side of London, offered something, and accept it immediately, says 17-year-old Dyllan, who was drawn into county lines at just 14. He describes how children as young as ten are being recruited, often through seemingly harmless interactions online. Most of his friends do it, he says.It happens all the time. They’ll ask where you’re from, offer you money, tell you what to do, and it escalates from there. Finding new recruits is deceptively simple. On platforms like Snapchat, it starts with being added to group chats or receiving direct messages from strangers.Charity workers warn that younger children may accept friend requests from people they barely know, mistaking it for popularity. Features like Snap Maps can reveal a child’s exact location, making it easier for gang members to make contact. Sometimes, they target specific individuals; other times, they cast messages widely, waiting for the most vulnerable to respond