It has been revealed that police forces record an average of more than 100 child sexual abuse image offences each day. Data recently released by the Home Office shows that police forces across England and Wales recorded a total of 38,685 child sexual abuse image offences in the year from 1st April 2023 –...
Calls for child safety checks on generative AI products
Almost 4 in 5 adults want child safety checks on new generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) products, according to a recent poll. The NSPCC says that polling reveals that 78% of the UK public would opt for child safety checks on the new technology, which uses AI to generate new content, including images and...
Online grooming crimes reach ‘record levels’ in the UK
Online grooming crimes against children have reached record levels across the UK, with the number of offences surpassing 7,000 for the first time, according to new data released by the NSPCC. The national children’s charity is calling for more “ambitious regulation” to make online platforms safer for children and young people. Data compiled by...
NSPCC reports rise in sextortion contacts
NSPCC has reported that their Childline service has seen a marked increase in the number of contacts they receive about sextortion. The confidential charity helpline provided over 900 counselling sessions for children concerned about sextortion – online sexual extortion – during 2023-24. This represents a 7% increase from 2022-23. During this same period, the...
Youth group to advise on child safety online
A new group of young people has been set up to advise politicians, regulators, parents and professionals about child safety online. The Voice of Online Youth group consists of 15 young people aged 13-16 from across the UK. They were selected based on their passion for helping children to remain safe online. The group...
Child abuse image crimes increase by 25%
The NSPCC says new figures show that child abuse image crimes increased by 25% in 2022-23. The national children’s charity obtained data from UK police forces which revealed that police recorded more than 33,000 child abuse image crimes last year. These included offences where images were collected and distributed. When comparing data to figures...
Online Safety Bill marks ‘new era for children’s safety’
The landmark Online Safety Bill has finally been passed and will soon be made law, marking what the NSPCC describes as “a new era for children’s safety.” The ground-breaking and “essential” piece of legislation was recently passed following years of campaigning by parents, survivors, MPs and charities and is set to transform the online...
Online grooming cases reach record high
Data from the NSPCC has revealed that online grooming crimes reached a record high last year, as new online safety laws have repeatedly stalled. The national children’s charity said that data from 42 police forces in the UK showed that 6,350 offences related to sexual communication with a child were recorded last year, representing...
Online abuse survivors call for action
Survivors of online abuse are joining together to call on the government to tackle violence against women and girls through the Online Safety Bill. A group of women, many of them public figures, who have experienced child sexual abuse, gendered violence and online misogyny have signed an open letter urging Prime Minister Rishi Sunak...
Social media firms introduce global measures to protect children
Leading social media platforms have implemented new global measures to protect children after the UK introduced new regulations aimed at ensuring child safety online. On Thursday 2nd September 2021, the UK introduced a new set of regulations to protect children when they are online, which include the possibility of multi-million-dollar fines for any companies...
Public support strict laws to protect children online
A survey commissioned by the NSPCC has found that 90% of adults support the introduction of tougher laws to protect children from online abuse. The YouGov poll questioned more than 2,000 adults and found that the vast majority backed new laws aimed at keeping children safe on social media, with 9 in 10 agreeing...
More than 100 online sex crimes against children recorded each day
The NSPCC has revealed that online sex crimes recorded against children have passed the equivalent of 100 per day. Analysis of the latest Home Office data shows that, between January and March 2020, the number of online sex crimes against children recorded by police reached the equivalent of 101 per day across England and...