Experts are urging parents to talk to their children amid warnings social media grooming is becoming "quicker" and "easier" than ever before. Childline said Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram were the top platforms children named in counselling about online sexual abuse last year. The companies have been approached for comment.
Avon and Somerset Police's child exploitation prevention officer Andri Nicolau said children as young as five can be targeted through social media, gaming and messaging platforms. She urged parents to encourage kids to ask for help without fear of blame or punishment. The warning comes after three men were jailed for grooming a 17-year-old girl on Snapchat before raping her.
Research by the NSPCC found sexual communication offences involving children in the South West have more than doubled since the offence was introduced seven years ago, to 756 in 2024/25. Of those, 300 were recorded by Avon and Somerset Police, 96 by Gloucestershire Constabulary and 61 by Wiltshire Police. The charity also said Snapchat was mentioned in 324 counselling sessions about online sexual abuse between April 2025 and March 2026, a 19% increase on the previous year.
TikTok (234) and Instagram (197) were the next most frequently mentioned platforms. Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: "It's deeply disturbing that hundreds of children have come to us in the past year alone, disclosing experiences of online sexual abuse linked to these popular apps and platforms. "These crimes are highly distressing for victims, often leaving children and their families to deal with devastating lifelong impacts." Another recent example involved Suleman Aqeel, from Speedwell in Bristol, who was jailed for 17 years at Bristol Crown Court on 30 September.
Aqeel used social media, including Snapchat, to arrange to meet young girls. He also filmed some of his offences and threatened to share intimate videos and images. New data suggests that this particular form of exploitation of children, known as 'sextortion', has also reached record levels.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said there has been a sharp rise in the number of young people contacting its confidential Report Remove helpline, external because they fear sexual images of themselves have been shared, or could be shared, online. Criminals try to extort or blackmail their victims by threatening to publish the images, which have often been taken by the child themselves. Nicolau said children spending more time online meant they were increasingly vulnerable to grooming, which is "easier" and "quicker" than ever before.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
.gif)
