Almost 34,000 online grooming crimes against children were recorded by UK police since the NSPCC first called for social media regulation.
One in Four online grooming crimes in the last 5 years were against primary school children says the organisation while 73% of crimes involved Snapchat and Meta as the charity is urging tech companies to accept regulation and prioritise children’s safety.
The report comes as MPs and Lords are going to make the final decisions on the Online Safety Bill next month.
6,350 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded last year . This is an 82% increase since 2017/18 when this offence came into force.More than 5,500 offences were against primary school children, with under-12s being affected by a quarter of cases and where the gender was known, 83% of online grooming offences were against girls.
The number of offences and children affected by online sexual abuse is likely to be a lot higher than what’s currently known to the police. It’s vital that politicians on all sides support the Online Safety Bill in its final stages, and pass this Bill that will help protect children says the charity
Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive said:
“Today’s research highlights the sheer scale of child abuse happening on social media and the human cost of fundamentally unsafe products.
“The number of offences must serve as a reminder of why the Online Safety Bill is so important and why the ground-breaking protections it will give children are desperately needed.
“We’re pleased the government has listened and strengthened the legislation so companies must tackle how their sites contribute to child sexual abuse in a tough but proportionate way, including in private messaging.
“It’s now up to tech firms, including those highlighted by these stark figures today, to make sure their current sites and future services do not put children at unacceptable risk of abuse.”
