Cyber-related child sex crimes in West Yorkshire more than DOUBLE in three years
Police in our county recorded a 145% increase in offences since 2015/16.
The NSPCC says it's "staggering" more and more West Yorkshire children are being contacted by sex offenders online.
In the past year there was an average of almost two child sex crimes involving the internet in our county every single day.
That number's more than doubled in the past three years.
Helen Westerman, from the NSPCC says the internet's being used to target kids in a number of ways:
"This could be an adult wanting sexual communication with a child, it could be grooming offences, it could be the sharing of images, all sorts of things. It could even be meeting a child online and then going on to meet them in real life and sexually assaulting them.
"We know that children and young people use social media all of the time and it's proven to be the place where perpetrators go to reach children, to groom children and exploit them. Add those social media companies have got a responsibility to make sure children who are using their sites are protected."
Since 2015/16 police forces in Yorkshire & Humberside have recorded a total of 4,441 child sex offences with an online element - 721 of them here in West Yorkshire.
The NSPCC's now calling on the next Prime Minister to stand firm against industry lobbying by prioritising online safety and bringing in laws that deliver a change in protection against abuse.
Peter Wanless, NSPCC CEO, said:
“Behind each offence is a child suffering at the hands of sex offenders and, worryingly, we know these figures are the tip of the iceberg.
“Far too many children are drowning in a sea of online threats so it’s now time for the next Prime Minister, whoever he may be, to cast out the life jacket.
“He must hold his nerve and introduce an independent regulator to protect children from the risks of abuse and harmful content.”