34,000 child grooming crimes reported as Tories dither on online safety laws
Almost 34,000 child grooming crimes have been reported to police while ministers dither over new online safety laws, alarming research shows.
Figures published today by the NSPCC show there were over 6,300 cases of sexual communication with a child recorded last year alone - up 82% in five years. It comes amid growing pressure for the Government to finally bring forward the Online Safety Bill, which was controversially shelved by the Tories.
Researchers found Meta-owned sites like Facebook and Instagram accounted for almost half of cases, while a quarter of grooming crimes happened on Snapchat. The Government promised tough new laws back in 2018, and the Bill was first proposed two years ago - but campaigners are still waiting.
The Bill is expected to be put back before MPs and peers next month when Parliament returns from the summer recess. If the much-anticipated legislation is passed, it would introduce tougher duties on firms and tech bosses to protect young users.
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.
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"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.”
The new research shows that more than 5,500 offences took place against primary school children, with under-12s making up a quarter of known victims. The new Bill will give regulator Ofcom powers to address significant abuse taking place in private messaging - forcing companies to identify and disrupt abuse in end-to-end encrypted environments.
Susie Hargreaves, chief executive of the Internet Watch Foundation, said: "We urge companies to make sure there are robust safety features brought in if they intend to introduce end-to-end encryption to their platforms.
"Without them, end-to-end encryption will be a smokescreen for abusers, helping them hide what they're doing, and enabling them to continue to hurt children and destroy young lives. Some of the worst sexual predators in the world can now have potentially any child within their grasp with a few clicks of a mouse's button. The internet has allowed access to those who want to groom and sexually abuse children, and we deal with the fallout every day."
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