Government must act against online child abuse, say charities
New figures show nearly 4,000 child sexual abuse image offences were recorded across the South West last year
Several children's charities are coming together to say the government must do more to protect young people online, as recently published Home Office data reveals police forces across the South West recorded 3,811 child sexual abuse image offences in 2023/24 – an average of more than 10 every day.
Across the entirety of England and Wales the figure was 38,685, with several groups including the NSPCC, Barnardo’s and the Marie Collins Foundation now writing to the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle, calling for action.
A separate Freedom of Information request submitted by the NSPCC to police forces across the UK showed that of the offences last year where law enforcement recorded the platform used by perpetrators, exactly half (50 per cent) took place on Snapchat and a quarter on Meta products – 11 per cent on Instagram, 7 per cent on Facebook and 6 per cent on WhatsApp.
"Ofcom has stated that user-to-user services are only required to remove illegal content where it is ‘technically feasible’," a statement from the NSPCC reads.
"This exception creates an unacceptable loophole, allowing some services to avoid delivering the most basic protections for children.
"Data from police forces on the number of recorded offences where the platform was known indicates private messaging sites are involved in more crimes than any other type of platform, with perpetrators exploiting the secrecy offered by these spaces to harm children and go undetected.
"The NSPCC wants the UK Government to push Ofcom to review and strengthen their most recent codes of practice on tackling this threat to children's safety online."
In the South West, the police forces to supply data were Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Devon and Cornwall recorded the most offences in the region at 1,351, followed by Avon and Somerset at 1,139.
Gloucestershire Police recorded 608, Wiltshire Police 409 and Dorset 304.
The NSPCC is also calling for private messaging services, including those using end-to-end encryption, to make sure there are robust safeguards in place to ensure their platforms do not act as a ‘safe haven’ for perpetrators of child sexual abuse.
Messaging apps
The NSPCC says insight from Childline "provides further evidence" of how young people are being targeted through private messaging apps.
During 2023/24, Childline delivered 903 counselling sessions to children and young people relating to blackmail or threats to expose or share sexual images online. This was a 7 per cent increase compared to 2022/23.
One girl, aged 13, said: “I sent nude pics and videos to a stranger I met on Snapchat. I think he’s in his thirties.
"I don’t know what to do next. I told him I didn’t want to send him any more pictures and he started threatening me, telling me that he’ll post the pictures online.
"I’m feeling really angry with myself and lonely. I would like support from my friends, but I don’t want to talk to them about it as I’m worried about being judged.”
Chris Sherwood, NSPCC Chief Executive, said: "It is deeply alarming to see thousands of child sexual abuse image crimes continue to be recorded by police in the South West.
"These offences cause tremendous harm and distress to children, with much of this illegal material being repeatedly shared and viewed online.
"It is an outrage that in 2025 we are still seeing a blatant disregard from tech companies to prevent this illegal content from proliferating on their sites.
“Having separate rules for private messaging services lets tech bosses off the hook from putting robust protections for children in place. This enables crimes to continue to flourish on their platforms even though we now have the Online Safety Act.
“The Government must set out how they will take a bold stand against abuse on private messaging services and hold tech companies accountable for keeping children safe, even if it requires changes to the platform’s design – there can be no excuse for inaction or delay.”