NEWS & VIEWS
Under 10s groomed online ‘like never before’ as hotline discovers record amount of child sexual abuse
6/2/2024
A “shocking” number of under 10s are being manipulated into performing sexual acts online, as experts discover more child sexual abuse imagery online than ever before.
New data from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) today (January 17) shows a dramatic rise in the number of webpages on the open internet showing children under 10 being groomed, manipulated, or coerced into performing sexually by a predator.
The Government said the findings are “alarming” and warned that the planned roll out of end-to-end encryption on Facebook Messenger will have a “catastrophic” effect on law enforcement’s ability to bring perpetrators to justice.
The IWF has found there is now more child sexual abuse imagery being discovered on the open internet than ever before – with almost every webpage (92%) it worked to remove in 2023 including “self-generated” material extorted from children who have been groomed or coerced by predators using webcams.
You can read the full story here.