Online grooming offences in the UK have reached a record high, with police data revealing that a four-year-old boy was among the victims. The NSPCC described the figures as 'deeply alarming', showing an almost doubling of such crimes over the past eight years.
Data obtained by the NSPCC from police forces across the UK recorded 7,263 online grooming offences in the year to March, nearly double the 3,728 recorded in the year to March 2018. The new offence of sexual communication with a child, introduced in England and Wales in April 2017, specifically targets groomers using mobile phones and social media.
In 2,111 of the recorded offences, a tech platform was identified. Around 40 per cent of these occurred on Snapchat, with 9 per cent on WhatsApp and 9 per cent on Facebook and Instagram. Girls made up 80 per cent of victims where gender was known, but the youngest victim was a four-year-old boy.
The NSPCC called on tech firms to analyse metadata to spot suspicious patterns, such as adults repeatedly contacting large numbers of children or creating fake profiles. It also suggested restrictions on adult profiles and tools to scan for nude images on children's phones.
NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood said: 'It’s deeply alarming that online grooming crimes have reached a record high across the UK, taking place on the very platforms children use every day.' Assistant Chief Constable Becky Riggs added that policing alone 'cannot stem the tide of online abuse' and called on technology companies to embed child safety into platform design.
