According to a global report, incidents of children aged seven to 10 being manipulated into recording abuse have risen by two-thirds in the past six months.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) saw almost 20,000 reports of self-generated child sexual abuse content in the first six months of this year, compared to just under 12,000 in the same period this year. The disturbing global trend has grown rapidly since the initial coronavirus lockdown, with cases in this age group increasing by 360% since the first half of 2020.
IWF chief executive Susie Hargreaves said self-generated abuse should be “totally preventable”, which should include educating parents, carers and children about the use of technology and sexual abuse in the home.
“Child sexual abuse, which is facilitated and captured by technology through an Internet connection, does not require the abuser to be physically present, and often occurs when the child is in their bedroom, a supposedly ‘safe space’ in the family home. . So it should be totally preventable,” he said.
“Only when the education of parents, carers and children comes together with the efforts of technology companies, government, the police and the third sector can we hope to stem the tide of this criminal image.”
The IWF operates a UK-based hotline and also reports on child sexual abuse material (CSAM) cases worldwide. While the fastest increase in self-generated images occurred among the seven to 10-year-old age group, the 11- to 13-year-old group generates the most self-generated images reported by the IWF , with 56,000 images tagged in the first six months of the year. There has also been a 137% increase in self-generated images from boys aged seven to 13.
Self-generated child sexual abuse images are typically created using webcams or smartphones and then shared online on a growing number of platforms. The IWF says children are groomed, tricked or extorted into producing an image or video of themselves.
He said most of the examples are in bedrooms, where toys, laundry baskets and closets can be seen in the background. In one case, a child can apparently be seen reading instructions on a screen, while in another the edge of a blanket is visible, implying that the victim is ready to quickly turn off or hide what has been asked of them what do
Tamsin McNally, manager of the IWF hotline, said there are a number of factors that could be behind the growth in self-generated images of abuse since 2020. “It could be because of the lockdown and that children are more at home and have access to the Internet, or it could be that we’re discovering more cases because our techniques for finding this kind of content have improved,” he said.
McNally added that the setup of the images and videos was shocking. She said: “This isn’t an alley or a dark basement. It’s in family homes… sometimes you can hear their parents outside the rooms.”
The IWF also warned in its annual report this year that children between the ages of three and six were becoming victims of self-inflicted sexual abuse. Images are distributed through online forums, having been taken from image hosting sites. He said the five largest sites used to store self-generated images of children aged seven to 10 had not been used for this purpose before.
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Hargreaves added that the UK’s online safety bill was essential to set a regulatory example around the world. The bill, whose progress in Parliament has been delayed until the fall, requires tech companies to limit the spread of illegal content such as images of child sexual abuse.
Companies will have to report any child abuse material on their platforms to the National Crime Agency, unless they have an agreement with another body, such as the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Communications regulator Ofcom will have the power to fine companies £18m or 10% of global turnover and, in extreme cases, block websites or apps.
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The NSPCC offers support for children on 0800 1111 and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused as Children (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331.