A leading children’s charity has called for urgent action to tackle online sexual abuse and exploitation after new data showed a dramatic increase in the number of children seeking help.
Figures provided by Childline, run by the NSPCC, confirm that more than 2,400 counselling sessions were delivered last year in response to online, sexually-abusive behaviour.
The NSPCC says that this represents a staggering 36 percent annual increase, and is demanding firmer action against tech companies which have “prioritised profit over the wellbeing of children.” It argues that unless the problem is urgently addressed, the online risks faced by young people “will get even worse.”
During the counselling sessions, young people highlighted their fears of sexual exploitation, including through the non-consensual sharing of intimate images and the potential for this to lead to financial extortion.
One 14-year-old girl who contacted Childline said: “I met a guy online and he managed to get photos of me in my underwear. I didn’t send them to him, so I don’t know how he got them. He threatened to put my photos on adult websites if I don’t send him more photos. I’m so scared. I’ve reported him online and I’m wondering if I should go to the police too.”
The NSPCC advises that the increased focus on digital sexual abuse is part of a wider problem with young people experiencing significant online harms. While speaking to Childline, young people described “encountering inappropriate and harmful content, falling for online scams, being bullied online and facing privacy concerns on big tech platforms.”
They also raised concerns about social media behaviour and sought advice on managing their screen time and online habits.
The UK Government is currently consulting on young people’s access to social media platforms, and the NSPCC has laid out three specific demands for action that it says would help to “hold tech companies to account and keep children safe.”
They insist that all digital platforms must be confirmed as safe and appropriate before children use them, that “addictive design tricks” must be controlled, and that authorities must use “full force of the law to block illegal and harmful content.”
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The calls coincide with the launch of the charity’s new Shift Ctrl campaign highlighting the impact of online harms on the everyday lives of children and young people. Video promoting the campaign will soon appear across a range of on-demand and online platforms, as well as in cinemas and on billboards, with the NSPCC calling on supporters to demand “urgent action from Government and tech companies to create a safer online world for children.”
Chris Sherwood, CEO at the NSPCC, said: “For far too long, tech companies have prioritised profit over the wellbeing of children, playing fast and loose with their safety. Enough is enough.
“Behind each of these Childline counselling sessions is a child in distress, using an online world with features that are designed to put them at risk.
“It is crucial that the Government uses their consultation on children’s access to the online world as a springboard to finally hold platforms to account for this harm and to force them to make these spaces safe for young users. This includes ensuring tech companies take action in blocking nude images of children from being taken and shared in real time.
“I urge everyone who cares about creating a safer online world for children to take part in the public consultation before it closes. Together, we can put an end to this harm and give children the safety they need and deserve and parents demand.”
Kerry Smith, Chief Executive of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said: “Everywhere we look online, children are being sexually exploited. Girls are facing increasingly normalised sexual violence, while boys are being singled out by criminals who capitalise on feelings of shame and fear to extort money from them.
“Our analysts are discovering record amounts of child sexual abuse imagery online. Stopping this downward spiral and working to create an internet where everyone can flourish needs to be the priority. Safety by design needs to be a guiding principle – and new products and platforms must be built to make sure there is nowhere where criminals can target and exploit children.
“This must apply to all parts of the internet, even those which are end to end encrypted. Currently, it is just too easy for criminals to target and exploit children and young people. Everybody must play their part in making sure children can learn, play, and socialise online in safety.”
Responses to the UK Government consultation on social media access for young people can be submitted here.
