Online grooming increases by 19% in Cumbria over 5 years
More than 200 offences were recorded by police over this period
Online grooming has increased by 19 % over the space of 5 years - according to data collected by the NSPCC from local police forces.
The children's charity have revealed this percentage increase amounts to 3,400 online grooming crimes recorded by police in this region.
The UK-wide figures also reveal:
- Four in five (83%) of grooming cases over the six years taking place against girls, where the gender was known.
- Snapchat was used in more than a quarter (26%) of total instances over the six years, while Meta-owned products were used in almost half (47%), where the means of communication was known.
- 150 different apps, games and websites were used to target children according to the police data analysed since 2017/18.
There are now calls for the Online Safety Bill - currently making its way through Parliament - to be brought into law as soon as possible
The NSPCC have been campaigning for an Online Safety Bill for six years during the time period this data was collected.
The legislation would hold tech companies responsible for the care of young users.
Gareth Hill from the NSPCC said:
"This problem is certainly not one that is going away. In the last 6 years we've seen 3400 online grooming crimes in the East of England.
"This spiked last year to the highest on record sitting at 676 cases recorded.
"75% of these crimes are taking place in Meta-owned platforms and Snapchat - most primarily on Instagram and Snapchat where children are the most.
"In terms of who's being targeted, the data also shows that it is 12- 15 year olds primarily girls."
Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive said:
"Today’s research highlights the sheer scale of child abuse happening on social media and the human cost of fundamentally unsafe products.
“The number of offences must serve as a reminder of why the Online Safety Bill is so important and why the ground-breaking protections it will give children are desperately needed.
“We’re pleased the Government has listened and strengthened the legislation so companies must tackle how their sites contribute to child sexual abuse in a tough but proportionate way, including in private messaging.
“It’s now up to tech firms, including those highlighted by these stark figures today, to make sure their current sites and future services do not put children at unacceptable risk of abuse.”