NSPCC calls for tough legislation in NI as it reveals Instagram is the most common platform for grooming crimes during lockdown

Freedom of Information responses from 38 police forces in England and Wales show that 1,224 offences of Sexual Communication with a Child were recorded in the first three months of lockdown.

Police recorded crime figures in Northern Ireland reveal 42 offences of sexual communications with a child during the same period. In 2019/20, there were 186 of sexual communications with a child.

The NSPCC fears the true scale of the problem is likely to be much higher.

In England and Wales, Instagram was the most used platform in child grooming crimes during lockdown.

Research by the NSPCC suggests Instagram is increasingly being used by offenders, and was the platform used in 38% of cases where the platform was recorded, compared with 29% over the previous three years.

Facebook-owned apps (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp) were used in 51% of instances where the means of communication was recorded. Snapchat was used in 20% of instances for which data was available.

The figures have led to renewed calls for Boris Johnson to get tough on tech firms that fail to do enough to prevent offenders exploit their sites and abuse children.

Here, the NSPCC is urging the Northern Ireland Executive to work closely with UK Government on its Online Harms Bill, while urgently progressing the publication of an NI-focused online safety strategy, to ensure that children and young people in Northern Ireland are robustly protected from online abuse and harm.

Natalie Whelehan, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at NSPCC NI said: “Children and young people must be fully protected from online abuse and exploitation.

“NSPCC Northern Ireland continues to call on the Northern Ireland Executive to publish and progress its Online Safety Strategy without delay, to take proactive and timely measures to respond to the increased risks children face online and to protect children in Northern Ireland from online abuse and exploitation.

“We also wish to see the Northern Ireland Executive working closely with the UK Government to ensure that the Online Harms Bill guarantees all children across the UK the most robust and comprehensive protections from online abuse and exploitation possible.”

Offences have increased year-on-year and in the three years prior to lockdown there were 12,924 offences recorded by police in England and Wales, with experts saying poorly designed social media sites are putting children at risk.

The NSPCC warned the pandemic had created a perfect storm for online offenders and believe these figures could highlight the start of a surge in online grooming crimes.

With increasing Coronavirus restrictions across the UK, the charity believes that the risk of online abuse will continue to spike, and many more offences may come to light when children report them at school.