Children ‘should be taught of risks’

Schools should do more to teach children about the dangers of sharing sexual content online, a think-tank report has recommended.

The scale of the problem means police and other law enforcement agencies should focus on those carrying out the abuse and making images rather than low-level offenders, the report suggested.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology could also play a key role in tackling the problem of child sexual abuse images, the paper by crossparty think-tank Demos said.

In its report, which drew on evidence from experts including industry watchdog the Internet Watch Foundation, Demos highlighted the growing problem of youngsters “sexting” – producing and often sending their own illegal material.

One-fifth of reported images in 2015 were “self-generated”, around 16 per cent of young people aged 11-16 have reported sending sexual images in the UK and one in six people reported to the police for indecent images are minors, according to research referenced in the report.

The Demos report said: “As the amount of self-produced illegal content continues to increase, stopping this at its source is the only sensible response.

“Education is needed to support potential victims and perpetrators of sextortion and peer-on-peer abuse, a growing problem. “