The NSPCC has warned that if the Online Safety Bill is delayed, more than 3,500 online child abuse crimes will occur each month

According to the charity’s analysis of Home Office crime data, there has been a more than tenfold increase in online child sexual abuse offences reported by police in England and Wales over the last decade.
That data shows that 42,503 obscene publication (child abuse image) and sexual grooming crimes were reported in the last year, up from 3,706 a decade ago.
The NSPCC has now written to both Conservative leadership candidates, urging them to commit to passing the online safety regulation in its entirety and without delay if elected.
Delaying the Bill further or “watering down” the proposals, according to the charity, would “represent a reversal of an important manifesto commitment that commands strong levels of public support.”
The Online Safety Bill was scheduled to be debated in Parliament last week, but it was postponed until the autumn when either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak take office.
The new online safety laws would require social media and other platforms to protect their users from harmful content, imposing a duty of care on them and imposing large fines and blocking access to their sites if they failed to do so.
The NSPCC, on the other hand, said the delay would put more children at risk of grooming, and that the magnitude of the problem should serve as a wake-up call to the next prime minister.
“As the clock on the Online Safety Bill ticks away, an increasing number of children and families face the unimaginable trauma of preventable child abuse,” NSPCC chief executive Sir Peter Wanless said.
“The need for legislation to protect children is clear; it has overwhelming support from MPs and the public, and it builds on the UK’s global leadership position in addressing online harm.”
“Strong regulation can be delivered while protecting free expression and privacy.”
“There can be no more important mission for government than keeping children safe from abuse, and the next prime minister must keep the election manifesto promise made to families and deliver the Online Safety Bill as a national priority.”