PREDATORS BEHIND SCREENS
The sex pests using social media to prey on your children
MORE than six people are being caught grooming kids online every day.
New data from the NSPCC has revealed a staggering 1,628 offences of sexual communication with a child were recorded by police in England and Wales in just nine months of 2017.
A new anti-grooming law came into force last year prohibiting adults from intentionally communicating with a child younger than 16, if the communication is sexual. The offence is committed whether or not the child communicated with the adult, and can attract a maximum two-year prison sentence. The figures show that kids as young as two were groomed in England while those as young as seven were found to have been groomed in Wales.
Police recorded the social platforms used in 956 offences.
Facebook was used in 32.6 per cent of cases, or nearly a third.
Snapchat was used in 18.4 per cent, Instagram in 15.6 per cent, and Whatsapp in 3.2 per cent.
In 3.4 per cent of cases the alleged groomer used text messages, in 2.3 per cent Kik, and in 1.9 per cent Skype.
In the remaining 24.4 per cent of cases they used a variety of platforms and methods.
Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: “Culture Secretary Matt Hancock has a golden opportunity to put an end to the Wild West Web and force social networks to protect children online.
“We hope he seizes the chance to do that.
“At present the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has plans to introduce a voluntary code for social networks, which sites could choose to follow or ignore.
“For the past 10 years social networks have been allowed to selfregulate, and yet they have consistently failed to take the necessary action needed to keep children safe.” A DCMS spokesperson said: “We are committed to making Britain the safest place in the world to be online. “We have been clear that we expect social media companies to make sure people who use their platforms are safe from harm, and we are prepared to bring in new laws and fines if significant progress is not made.”
Police recorded 1,628 offences of sexual communication with a child in nine months last year These are the three social media platforms most commonly used to commit the offences