Police forces across England and Wales have registered close to 4,000 instances of cyber-flashing since the act became a specific criminal offence last year, according to newly released Home Office statistics.
The Scale of the Problem
The data, which focuses on crimes predominantly targeting women and girls, reveals that 3,951 cyber-flashing offences were officially recorded by police up to the end of June this year. Cyber-flashing is defined as the act of sending an unsolicited photo or video of genitals to another person with the intent to scare, humiliate, or cause distress.
This behaviour was criminalised in January 2024 under the Online Safety Act. The figures show a significant number of reports in a relatively short time frame, highlighting the prevalence of this form of digital abuse.
Police Force Data and Other Offences
The Metropolitan Police in London recorded the highest number of incidents, with 268 cyber-flashing crimes. They were followed by West Midlands Police with 240 reports and Essex Police with 192.
While officially categorised as a violence against women and girls (VAWG) offence, the recorded data includes crimes committed against individuals of all genders. The Home Office report also detailed other new online offences introduced by the Act.
Police recorded a staggering 41,064 offences for sending messages threatening death or serious harm, and another 6,541 offences for sending false information with the intent to cause harm.
Calls for Action Beyond the Law
The End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) stated that the number of recorded crimes indicates a growing awareness of the offence. However, the group emphasised that more is needed beyond criminalisation alone.
Andrea Simon, Director of EVAW, called for a multi-faceted approach. This includes public educational campaigns, quality relationships and sex education in schools relevant to the digital age, and work to prevent violence against women and girls across the whole of society, she said.
Simon also stressed the need to hold technology platforms accountable, noting that their inadequate safeguards allow this behaviour to proliferate. She advocated for making the Act's guidance for tech companies on tackling violence against women mandatory.
She further pointed out that the official figures are likely a significant under-representation of the true scale of the problem, as many women and girls do not feel confident reporting to the police. EVAW is calling on the Government to introduce a system of civil redress for survivors, enabling courts to order the takedown of abusive content and award damages.
In response, a Government spokesperson affirmed that the new offences mean online abusers can now rightly be prosecuted for behaviour that has gone unchallenged for too long. The spokesperson added that the strengthened Act requires platforms to proactively prevent users from encountering cyber-flashing content, moving beyond a reactive reporting model.
