Grooming cases up 700% in Derbyshire- as Parliament push law update
The NSPCC is calling on MPs and tech giants to support the Online Safety Bill
Last updated 15th Aug 2023
Online grooming of children has more than doubled in the East Midlands, according to the NSPCC.
Police recorded over 2,600 offences across the past six years - with the force in Derbyshire seeing an increase of nearly 700%.
Nationwide, 34,000 online grooming crimes have been recorded during the wait for updated online safety laws according to the NSPCC, as campaigners urged no more delays to the Online Safety Bill.
The long-awaited Bill is expected to become law in the autumn, but has faced a lengthy route to the statute book with repeated changes and delays to the proposed legislation.
Recent days have seen ministers also forced to defend the Bill amid concern from tech companies that the legislation will undermine the use of encryption.
The NSPCC has called on tech giants and MPs to back the Bill, as the charity said that 34,000 online grooming crimes had been recorded by UK police forces over the last six years.
The charity first called for more robust online safety regulation in 2017.
Citing data from 42 UK police forces, the NSPCC said that 6,350 offences related to sexual communication with a child were recorded last year – a rise of 82% since the offence was introduced in 2017/18.
The data shows that 73% of the crimes involved either Snapchat or Meta-linked websites, with 5,500 offences taking place against primary school-age children.
The figures come as Parliament prepares to finish debating the Bill when summer recess ends in a few weeks.
NSPCC chief executive Sir Peter Wanless 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.”
The charity said that the figures also showed that in cases where the gender of the victim was known, 83% of social media grooming cases in the last six years took place against girls.
Around 150 apps, games and websites were also used to target children, according to the police data.
The NSPCC argues that the Bill is vital if children are to be protected from abuse.
What would the Bill do?
If passed, it would introduce tougher duties on firms and tech bosses to protect young users.
But the NSPCC also wants assurances that the legislation will regulate new technologies, such as AI.
“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,” Sir Peter said.