Online Grooming Crimes Soar to Shocking New High
Online grooming of children has hit a terrifying record. Police recorded 6,350 cases of sexual communication with a child in the year up to March 2023 — that’s an 82% jump since the offence was first defined in 2017.
NSPCC Demands Tougher Online Safety Laws
The NSPCC has slammed the current safeguards and called for stronger protections. It backs the Online Safety Bill’s “ground-breaking” measures aimed at keeping kids safe online, despite privacy concerns from tech giants.
Freedom of information data shows UK police have handled around 34,000 grooming offences in six years. Shockingly, a quarter of victims were under 12, with girls making up 83% of known cases.
Snapchat and Facebook Among Top Grooming Platforms
The report exposes social apps’ key role in grooming. Snapchat was linked to 26% of cases, while Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp covered 47%. In total, 150 different games, websites, and apps were used to target children.
A survivor’s chilling tale highlights the danger. Groomed on French app Yubo at 15, she was tricked by a predator pretending to be a boy. He coerced her into sending explicit pictures and used them to control her.
Tech Firms Urged to Act Now as Bill Faces Final Hurdle
NSPCC Chief Sir Peter Wanless stresses the urgent need for social media giants to take responsibility. The Online Safety Bill, delayed since 2019, will have its final debate in the House of Lords next month.
Some parts, like letting UK regulators scan private messages, face pushback from WhatsApp and Signal over privacy fears. But NSPCC warns stronger laws are crucial to stop online child exploitation growing worse.
With online grooming crimes at an unprecedented level, the NSPCC calls on tech companies to act now and protect children before more lives are ruined.
