Online Grooming Reaches Record High as Youngest Victim Aged Just Four
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has revealed alarming new statistics showing that online grooming crimes in the UK have doubled since 2018, reaching a record high with victims as young as four years old.
According to data obtained through freedom of information requests, police forces recorded 7,263 grooming offences in the year to March, representing an almost exact doubling from the 3,728 cases recorded in the 12 months to March 2018. The charity described this eight-year rise as "deeply alarming" in their comprehensive new report.
Snapchat Emerges as Primary Platform for Predators
Among the most concerning findings is the prominent role played by specific technology platforms in facilitating these crimes. Of the approximately 2,100 cases where a specific platform was identified, Snapchat was used in around 40% of offences.
Meta-owned platforms also featured significantly in the data, with WhatsApp accounting for 9% of identified cases, while Facebook and Instagram together represented another 9%. The research highlights how predators are exploiting popular social media platforms that are widely used by young people.
Matthew Sowemimo, the NSPCC's associate head of child safety online, explained that Snapchat's popularity among British children contributes to its high involvement rate, with nearly three-quarters of young people using the platform. He specifically highlighted concerns about the 'quick add' feature that enables adults to send direct messages to "a very large number of child users".
Disturbing Demographics and Hidden Realities
The demographic breakdown of victims reveals particularly worrying patterns. Girls accounted for 80% of victims in cases where gender was recorded during the past year. However, the youngest identified victim was a four-year-old boy, though the charity declined to disclose which police force recorded this specific crime to protect the child's identity.
The NSPCC warned that the actual scale of the problem is likely much greater than these figures suggest. Each recorded offence may involve multiple victims and various communication methods, while much abuse occurs "in private spaces where harms can be harder to detect".
Experts suggest several factors may be contributing to the recorded increase, including the introduction of new legislation. The offence of sexual communication with a child came into force in England and Wales in April 2017, specifically designed to tackle groomers targeting under-16s through mobile phones and social media.
Tech Companies Respond to Growing Pressure
In response to these findings, the NSPCC is calling on technology firms to take more proactive measures. The charity recommends that companies analyse metadata to identify suspicious behaviour patterns without reading private messages, which could flag adults repeatedly contacting large numbers of children or creating fake profiles.
A Snapchat spokesperson defended their safety measures, stating: "We block teens from showing up in search results unless they have multiple mutual connections and they have to be mutual friends or existing phone contacts before they can communicate directly. We also deploy in-app warnings for teens to help prevent unwanted contact."
Meanwhile, Meta reported using technology to "proactively identify child exploitation content" on its platforms, removing over six million pieces of such content from Facebook and Instagram between January and March this year alone.
The NSPCC's research also found that predators are adapting their methods, creating multiple profiles and manipulating young users across different platforms. This evolving tactics require equally sophisticated responses from both tech companies and law enforcement agencies.
As the UK's Online Safety Act begins to take effect, there is growing pressure on social media platforms to strengthen their protective measures and make their environments "an inhospitable place for people intent on doing harm", as Snapchat's spokesperson committed to doing.
