Parents are being urged to protect their children from a new trend in online abuse which can lead to them feeling suicidal.
A report released today by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre reveals sex offenders are grooming youngsters on social networking sites and in chatrooms with the sole purpose of forcing them to commit degrading acts on webcams.
The study shows internet predators may target hundreds of children at a time to satisfy their sexual fantasies, with initial contact rapidly escalating into threats and intimidation.
North East MSP Alex Johnstone said the trend towards online abuse is “deeply concerning” and indicative of changing behaviour patterns in abusers’ behaviour.
He said: “The internet is very much a part of young people’s lives, but it also presents predatory adults with opportunities to target vulnerable children.
“These figures underline yet again the importance of keeping children safe online and, on top of the work being done nationally and locally, it is imperative that parents take a proactive role and know what their children are doing online.
“I think it would be useful if we had greater demographic breakdown in the figures to identify any clusters, for example in Angus or Dundee, which would allow targeted use of resource.”
CEOP say children who are groomed into performing sexual activity online can feel ashamed, desperate or even suicidal.
Figures from the agency show there were 1,145 public reports relating to incidents of online grooming in the UK last year, with just 7% leading to an attempt to meet a child offline, a drop from 12% in 2011.
Peter Davies, CEOP chief executive, said: “On a daily basis we see the devastation caused to young people’s lives by online grooming.
“What we are seeing is a growing proportion of grooming cases reported to the centre where online abuse is an end in itself.”
Mr Davies claimed children may be targeted because of a vulnerability and said parents and carers can make a vital difference in whether or not a child becomes a victim.
The new research highlights factors which make children vulnerable to both contact and online abuse when combined with frequent internet access.
These include issues such as low self-esteem, confusion about sexuality, loneliness, social isolation and problems at school.
A lack of parental monitoring of online activities is also a major problem and children with family difficulties are deemed more likely to be drawn into abuse.
Claire Lilly, safer internet lead at the NSPCC, said education was the key to tackling online grooming but conceded the internet had become “part and parcel” of young lives.
“We are seeing a sharp rise in young people contacting ChildLine about being approached online, sending images to strangers or being exposed to online pornography,” she said.
“A new generation of smartphone apps are presenting yet more problems. CEOP are doing a great job in tracking down ever more sophisticated offenders and technology companies are starting to improve their safeguards but this problem will not go away until everyone ISPs, mobile phone companies, parents, schools and young people themselves play their part in tackling it.”
Safer Internet Day, organised by Insafe, takes place on Tuesday. It promotes safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially among children and young people across the world.
gbletcher@thecourier.co.uk