‘Perfect storm' for online child abuse

Coronavirus has created a three-fold ‘perfect storm’ for abusers to potentially groom children online by taking advantage of the crisis, the NSPCC warns.

The charity said while tech firms have had to scale back on moderators who combat sexual abuse, offenders are seeing an opportunity to target children who are spending more time on the internet at home, and may be feeling increasingly lonely or anxious because of the lockdown.

As well as raising the issue so parents have regular conversations with their children about what they are doing online, it wants tech firms to share with Government the volumes of referrals they make during this period in order track and identify child abuse risks.

Much of this activity will be helping to educate children, and allowing them to stay in touch with their friends and provide entertainment, but it could also lead to increased exposure to harmful content.

The NSPCC says it is concerned because social media companies are being forced to send their outsourced moderators home, so they are relying primarily on artificial intelligence for child safeguarding purposes. Head of child safety online policy, Andy Burrows, added: “The impact of the coronavirus lockdown has increased online risks and brewed a perfect storm for offenders to abuse children. It’s vital that tech firms set out how they are prioritising protecting children by identifying and disrupting offenders with fewer moderation resources available.”