Boy, 4, victim of online grooming as offences reach record high
Online grooming offences reach record high in the UK
- Online grooming offences have reached a record high in the UK, with 7,263 cases recorded in the year to March, nearly doubling the figures from 2018.
- The youngest victim identified was a four-year-old boy, and girls accounted for 80 per cent of victims where gender was known.
- Snapchat was linked to 40 per cent of identified tech platform offences, while WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram each accounted for 9 per cent.
- The NSPCC described the figures as “deeply alarming” and urged tech companies to analyse metadata for suspicious patterns and restrict adult profiles.
- Police and the Internet Watch Foundation also called on tech firms to prioritise child safety in platform design, including in encrypted spaces, to protect children.