Police turn to charities for help with teenagers caught up in online child abuse
Summary
Police in England and Wales say rising numbers of teenagers are encountering illegal or harmful sexual material online, and some forces are considering charity or civilian-led support to safeguard them without criminalising them. Officers and legal experts say the new pornography restrictions should focus on distributors and platforms, while police report about 1,000 arrests each month for online child sexual abuse offences.Key Facts
- New laws in England and Wales ban publishing or possessing pornography showing strangulation, incest, or adults acting out fantasies involving sex with under-16s.
- West Mercia officers say the volume of arrests for online child abuse offences is rising significantly.
- Police across England and Wales arrest about 1,000 people each month for online child sexual abuse offences, most of them men.
- West Mercia officers are considering a pilot that would send civilians to visit children found viewing illegal material.
- Officers say some cases involve sexting between teenagers, while others involve young people encountering violent child abuse images in chat sites and forums.
- Police say a Surrey project called Solah has prompted several forces to consider similar safeguarding approaches.
- Legal experts cited in the article say the new law should target large platforms and distributors, rather than focus on material individuals have on their phones.
- Ministry of Justice adverts warned users of extreme pornography to delete it before 6 November or face prison sentences of up to five years.
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