Children as young as six among hundreds of underage ‘sexting’ offence suspects
4 years, 10 months ago

Children as young as six among hundreds of underage ‘sexting’ offence suspects

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Det Supt Zena Marshall, Scotland Yard’s lead for online child sexual exploitation, said many young people do not realise that creating or sharing explicit images of under-18s is a crime. “We do not want to criminalise young people unnecessarily - we want to educate them so that they can be better informed about the legal position and mindful about the potential pitfalls of an activity many of them might regard as nothing out of the ordinary.” Police said they receive reports of sexting from young people themselves, as well as parents, schools, youth clubs and local authorities. 'Horrifying' number of men view child sex abuse images online, police say Scotland Yard said the exchange of such images had become a “societal norm”, and that online indecent image offences as a whole had risen by 130 per cent since 2016 - causing it to bolster specialist investigation teams and education efforts. The government’s upcoming Online Harms Bill will include proposals to tackle the “epidemic” of online child sex abuse images, while Ofcom has been given the responsibility of internet regulation.

Children Child Young Online Abuse Young People Images Sign Scotland Yard  images  sign  sexting  children  offence  child  underage  internet  online  abuse  breaking  suspects  hundreds  young

History of this topic

Australia’s social media ban won’t protect kids – it’ll put them more at risk
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Australia’s social media ban won’t protect kids – it’ll put them more at risk

The Independent  

It’s hard to know what to gift teenagers at Christmas. Beyond the ongoing debate over TikTok’s future in the US, Australia has recently made the decision to ban children under 16 from social media – a policy which the government will enforce via untested age verification technology. The AV technology to be used on social media platforms in Australia is …

Top Met counter-terror officer warns of children as young as 10 accessing extreme material online
Trending News
3 weeks ago

Top Met counter-terror officer warns of children as young as 10 accessing extreme material online

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A top Met officer has …

Telegram to work with internet watchdog on child sexual abuse material crackdown
1 month ago

Telegram to work with internet watchdog on child sexual abuse material crackdown

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The platform is to work with the Internet Watch Foundation, a leading organisation for finding and removing …

Social media ban for children ‘brilliant idea’ for tackling abuse – charity boss
1 month, 1 week ago

Social media ban for children ‘brilliant idea’ for tackling abuse – charity boss

The Independent  

Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A social media ban for young children is “a brilliant idea” for …

Australian father of teen sextortion victim backs banning young children from social media
1 month, 1 week ago

Australian father of teen sextortion victim backs banning young children from social media

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Wayne Holdsworth became an advocate …

Does India Need Inspiration From the EU’s Proposed Regulation to Combat CSAM?
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Does India Need Inspiration From the EU’s Proposed Regulation to Combat CSAM?

The Quint  

Countries around the world, including India, face increasing pressure to address and control online child sexual abuse. The scope of the problem is broad, involving various forms of exploitation and abuse, including the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, online grooming, and live-streaming abuse. In 2022, the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children received more than 31 …

Treat revenge porn in same way as child abuse content online, MPs told
2 months ago

Treat revenge porn in same way as child abuse content online, MPs told

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Revenge porn should …

Treat revenge porn in same way as child abuse content online, MPs told
Trending News
2 months ago

Treat revenge porn in same way as child abuse content online, MPs told

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Revenge porn should …

Online grooming crimes reach record levels, NSPCC says
2 months, 1 week ago

Online grooming crimes reach record levels, NSPCC says

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Online grooming crimes have reached record levels in the UK, with more than …

New, strengthened Online Safety Act needed to protect children, charity says
2 months, 2 weeks ago

New, strengthened Online Safety Act needed to protect children, charity says

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Almost seven years after Molly’s death, we urgently need ministers …

AI-generated child sex abuse content increasingly found on open web – watchdog
2 months, 3 weeks ago

AI-generated child sex abuse content increasingly found on open web – watchdog

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy AI-generated child sexual abuse content is increasingly being found on publicly accessible areas …

Seven in 10 children exposed to harmful content online – research
4 months ago

Seven in 10 children exposed to harmful content online – research

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Other harmful online experiences reported by children in this age group include coming across hate …

Senate passes bill to protect kids online and make tech companies accountable for harmful content
5 months, 1 week ago

Senate passes bill to protect kids online and make tech companies accountable for harmful content

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation Tuesday that is designed to protect children from dangerous online content, pushing forward with what would be the first major effort by Congress in decades to hold tech companies more accountable for the harm that they cause. “It is past time to act.” The legislation is about allowing children, teens and parents “to …

Instagram 'is profiting from AI-generated child abuse images': Charity lawyers target social media giant Meta for 'not tackling' a 'new frontier of horror' that sees paedophiles advertise websites sel
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Instagram 'is profiting from AI-generated child abuse images': Charity lawyers target social media giant Meta for 'not tackling' a 'new frontier of horror' that sees paedophiles advertise websites sel

Daily Mail  

Instagram is facing a legal challenge over claims it profits by allowing users to advertise AI-generated child sex abuse images. In what campaigners say is a 'new frontier of horror', paedophiles are using artificial intelligence software to generate thousands of sexualised images of children, which they brazenly market on Instagram, telling users to click on their sites to buy even …

Parents should check children's smartphones for nude photos until they turn 18, says police boss
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Parents should check children's smartphones for nude photos until they turn 18, says police boss

Daily Mail  

Parents should check their children's smartphones until the age of 18, according to the national police lead on child protection. Assistant Chief Constable Becky Riggs, the new lead for child abuse investigations at the National Police Chiefs' Council, has urged parents to report any intimate images they find on a child's phone and discourage them from being shared under any …

What to know about the Kids Online Safety Act that just passed the Senate
5 months, 2 weeks ago

What to know about the Kids Online Safety Act that just passed the Senate

Associated Press  

The last time Congress passed a law to protect children on the internet was in 1998 — before Facebook, before the iPhone and long before today’s oldest teenagers were born. KOSA would create a “duty of care” — a legal term that requires companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm — for online platforms minors will likely use. Even …

Campaign to protect children online
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Campaign to protect children online

China Daily  

Campaign to protect children online China's top internet regulator has launched a two-month campaign to protect children online during the summer vacation, targeting e-commerce predators and inappropriate content. The crackdown follows a controversy last year that occurred when China Central Television exposed e-commerce platforms selling nude scale model toys to children age 7 to 14. A report on juvenile internet …

Teenagers driven to suicide and online child abuse reported every SECOND... how a retired detective is leading a team of Scottish experts in the fightback against criminal gangs targeting children in
6 months, 1 week ago

Teenagers driven to suicide and online child abuse reported every SECOND... how a retired detective is leading a team of Scottish experts in the fightback against criminal gangs targeting children in

Daily Mail  

Eleven years ago, when 17-year-old Daniel Perry decided his least dreadful option was to take his own life, the online crime of ‘sextortion’ was little understood in Scotland. Murray Dowey, left, and Daniel Perry took their own lives after being targeted Retired detective Paul Stanfield has seen lives ripped apart by the sexual exploitation and abuse of children online ‘He …

Prioritise children’s online safety at election to tackle ‘hidden pandemic’ of sexual abuse, experts urge
7 months ago

Prioritise children’s online safety at election to tackle ‘hidden pandemic’ of sexual abuse, experts urge

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Experts warning of a “hidden pandemic” of online sexual abuse have …

More than 300 million children a year face sexual abuse online, study suggests
7 months, 1 week ago

More than 300 million children a year face sexual abuse online, study suggests

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. This is on a staggering scale that in the UK alone equates to forming a line of …

Children will learn facts of life from disturbing online porn: Experts slam banning sex education for under-nines as 'incredibly damaging' - and warn youngsters could develop an 'unhealthy relationshi
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Children will learn facts of life from disturbing online porn: Experts slam banning sex education for under-nines as 'incredibly damaging' - and warn youngsters could develop an 'unhealthy relationshi

Daily Mail  

Banning sex education for children under nine could be 'incredibly damaging', experts have warned — as youngsters may end up learning the facts of life from disturbing online pornography. Dr Amanda Gummer says withdrawing sex education for under-9s will push children to get their sex education from disturbing online porn instead Education Secretary Gillian Keegan is set to announce a …

Children, three, manipulated into sending predators sexual pictures, report claims
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Children, three, manipulated into sending predators sexual pictures, report claims

Daily Mail  

A new report has found that children as young as three are being manipulated into sending predators sexual pictures and videos. A new report has found that children as young as three are being manipulated into sending predators sexual pictures and videos Susie Hargreaves, chief executive of the IWF, said: 'The opportunistic criminals who want to manipulate your children into …

Report urges fixes to online child exploitation CyberTipline before AI makes it worse
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Report urges fixes to online child exploitation CyberTipline before AI makes it worse

Associated Press  

A tipline set up 26 years ago to combat online child exploitation has not lived up to its potential and needs technological and other improvements to help law enforcement go after abusers and rescue victims, a new report from the Stanford Internet Observatory has found. “Almost certainly in the years to come, the CyberTipline will just be flooded with highly …

Simple ways to protect young people from online abuse including 'sextortion' and grooming
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Simple ways to protect young people from online abuse including 'sextortion' and grooming

ABC  

There are two questions sexual predators ask children when they are grooming them online. "We're inviting offenders into bedrooms if we allow children to take their devices there," Detective Inspector Toohey said. "What it may look like is a child having an unsolicited contact on a platform, a social media platform or something online, from a person they don't know," …

Cyberflashing: Understanding new law that bans sending unwanted nude pictures
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Cyberflashing: Understanding new law that bans sending unwanted nude pictures

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Under laws introduced in the Online Safety Bill, sending …

There Are Dark Corners of the Internet. Then There's 764
9 months, 3 weeks ago

There Are Dark Corners of the Internet. Then There's 764

Wired  

WIRED collaborated with Der Spiegel, Recorder, and The Washington Post on this reporting. A reporting consortium including Der Spiegel, Recorder, The Washington Post, and WIRED has unearthed a sprawling ecosystem that has targeted thousands of people and victimized dozens, if not hundreds, of children using some of the internet’s biggest platforms. Law enforcement believes the “com” network encompasses a swath …

Instagram’s Pedophile Problem
9 months, 4 weeks ago

Instagram’s Pedophile Problem

Slate  

As the debate around child safety online rages on, an investigation by The New York Times found a seedy world of pedophiles interacting with child influencer accounts, often run by their parents, on Instagram. Meta sent a statement that said, in part: “Child exploitation is a horrific crime and online predators are determined criminals. We use sophisticated technology, hire child …

Undercover online police snare 1,600 suspected child abusers
11 months ago

Undercover online police snare 1,600 suspected child abusers

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A national network of undercover …

Majority of boys aged 11-14 ‘exposed to online content that promotes misogyny’
11 months ago

Majority of boys aged 11-14 ‘exposed to online content that promotes misogyny’

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Every parent knows being online …

Courts can’t be lenient on downloading child abuse material
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Courts can’t be lenient on downloading child abuse material

Hindustan Times  

January 11, 2024, was a black letter day for the Madras high court when it held in Harish v. Inspector of Police that downloading and viewing child sexual abuse material or child pornography was not an offence. The Madras HC erroneously relied on a Kerala HC judgment under Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code of 1860 to exonerate the …

UK: Children emerging as major perpetrators in sexual offenses against minors, police say
11 months, 4 weeks ago

UK: Children emerging as major perpetrators in sexual offenses against minors, police say

Firstpost  

Police data in the United Kingdom revealed a concerning surge in sexual abuse cases involving children as both victims and perpetrators, with boys increasingly engaging in violent behavior influenced by easily accessible explicit content on smartphones. The National Police Chiefs’ Council conducted a comprehensive analysis, indicating a fourfold increase in sexual offenses against children. Critchley highlights the challenges law enforcement …

Three of the biggest porn sites must verify ages to protect kids under Europe’s new digital law
1 year ago

Three of the biggest porn sites must verify ages to protect kids under Europe’s new digital law

Associated Press  

LONDON — Three of the world’s biggest porn websites face new requirements in the European Union that include verifying the ages of users, the 27-nation bloc said Wednesday, expanding the reach of its digital law designed to keep people safe on the internet. Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat have now been classed as “very large online platforms” subject to more stringent …

UK Government Considers Social Media Restrictions for Under-16s
1 year ago

UK Government Considers Social Media Restrictions for Under-16s

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The UK government, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is contemplating potential restrictions on social media access for teenagers below the age of 16 in a bid to safeguard them from online harm. Despite the implementation of the Online Safety Act, mandating social media platforms to shield minors from harmful content or face fines up to 10% of global …

How safe is the online space for children in India? | In Focus podcast
1 year, 1 month ago

How safe is the online space for children in India? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

The National Human Rights Commission released a set of guidelines last month for the Central and State governments to tackle the problem of Child Sexual Abuse Material or CSAM on the internet. The NHRC says, that according to the Cyber Tipline 2022 statistics, of the 32 million reports received about child sexual abuse material, 5.6 million reports were uploaded by …

European lawmakers try to balance protection and privacy with law on explicit images of children
1 year, 1 month ago

European lawmakers try to balance protection and privacy with law on explicit images of children

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — Seeking to strike the right balance between protecting children and protecting privacy rights, European Union lawmakers on Tuesday adopted a series of amendments to a draft law that is intended to keep sexually explicit photos and videos of minors from circulating online. The draft position adopted overwhelmingly by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home …

UK focuses on child safety at the start of new online regime
1 year, 2 months ago

UK focuses on child safety at the start of new online regime

The Hindu  

Britain's communications regulator said tech companies must focus on protecting children from abuse, grooming and pro-suicide content, in its first steps as the enforcer of online safety. Ofcom, which gained new powers when the Online Safety Act came into law last month, said children were a key priority. Chief Executive Melanie Dawes said Ofcom was wasting no time in setting …

New online safety plans to end ‘stranger danger’ for children
1 year, 2 months ago

New online safety plans to end ‘stranger danger’ for children

The Telegraph  

Strangers are to be barred from sending messages to children on social media under plans by Ofcom to protect young people online. Describing it as an online form of “stranger danger”, she said: “If these unwanted approaches happened so often in the outside world, many of us would hardly want our children to leave the house. That cannot continue.” Under …

NHRC issues advisory regarding Child Sexual Abuse Material on internet
1 year, 2 months ago

NHRC issues advisory regarding Child Sexual Abuse Material on internet

Hindustan Times  

The National Human Rights Commission has issued a new advisory to protect the rights of children by combating the production, distribution, and consumption of Child Sexual Abuse Material on the internet. The four-part advisory released by NHRC on Friday aims to address the legal gaps in laws concerning CSAM and offers suggestions regarding training officials and offering support to survivors …

AI-generated child sexual abuse images could flood the internet; UK watchdog calls for action
1 year, 2 months ago

AI-generated child sexual abuse images could flood the internet; UK watchdog calls for action

The Hindu  

The already-alarming proliferation of child sexual abuse images on the internet could become much worse if something is not done to put controls on artificial intelligence tools that generate deepfake photos, a watchdog agency warned on Tuesday. In a written report, the U.K.-based Internet Watch Foundation urges governments and technology providers to act quickly before a flood of AI-generated images …

AI-generated child sexual abuse images could flood the internet. Now there are calls for action
1 year, 2 months ago

AI-generated child sexual abuse images could flood the internet. Now there are calls for action

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The already-alarming proliferation of child sexual abuse images on the internet could become much worse if something is not done to put controls on artificial intelligence tools that generate deepfake photos, a watchdog agency warned on Tuesday. If it isn’t stopped, the flood of deepfake child sexual abuse images could bog investigators down trying to rescue children …

No child sexual abuse material on platform: YouTube
1 year, 2 months ago

No child sexual abuse material on platform: YouTube

The Hindu  

YouTube said on Monday that it did not detect any child sexual abuse materials on its platform nor evidence of such from the regulators. We are committed to work with all collaborators in the industry-wide fight to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material," the spokesperson added. Our child safety policy expressly prohibits “sexually explicit content featuring minors and …

YouTube, X and Telegram receive notices on child sexual abuse material
1 year, 3 months ago

YouTube, X and Telegram receive notices on child sexual abuse material

The Hindu  

YouTube, Telegram and X have been told to proactively filter child sexual abuse material out “on the Indian Internet”, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said on Friday. In a statement, a YouTube spokesperson said: “We have a zero-tolerance policy on child sexual abuse material. The Stanford Internet Observatory said in a report in June that it ran PhotoDNA, …

‘Shocking’ rise in number of children falling victim to sextortion, charity says
1 year, 3 months ago

‘Shocking’ rise in number of children falling victim to sextortion, charity says

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. We have written to Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally, to urge him to ensure child safety is …

Sex offenders are using virtual reality to ‘groom and abuse children’
1 year, 4 months ago

Sex offenders are using virtual reality to ‘groom and abuse children’

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Offenders are using virtual reality to groom and sexually abuse …

Social media firms told to block under-13s or face ‘humongous fines’
1 year, 4 months ago

Social media firms told to block under-13s or face ‘humongous fines’

The Telegraph  

Social media firms must deactivate underaged children’s accounts or risk “humongous” fines, the Technology Secretary has warned. “Because otherwise the mental toll and the ramifications for these young people is unimaginable and we’re just storing up a bigger problem for tomorrow in terms of the long-term impact that we are going to face.” Ms Donelan said the bill would “potentially …

Mother's warning over Fortnite grooming danger as stranger 'offers her 12-year-old son money for a sex act'
1 year, 4 months ago

Mother's warning over Fortnite grooming danger as stranger 'offers her 12-year-old son money for a sex act'

Daily Mail  

A mother-of-two said she felt 'sick to her stomach' after overhearing a man apparently try to groom her son through in-game chat on his Xbox. The mother, from Liverpool, said her 12-year-old son was playing the online teen game Fortnite when a man began asking him to send naked pictures. The game first game out in 2017 and is now …

Madhya Pradesh: Eight booked in connection with uploading child pornography content on social media in Indore
1 year, 5 months ago

Madhya Pradesh: Eight booked in connection with uploading child pornography content on social media in Indore

India TV News  

Indore crime news: At least eight persons were booked in connection with allegedly uploading child pornography content over various social media platforms in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district, a police official said today. Speaking on the issue, Deputy Commissioner of Police Aditya Mishra told media, “An organisation named National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which works on child sex abuse …

Internet Watch Foundation confirms first AI-generated child sex abuse images
1 year, 5 months ago

Internet Watch Foundation confirms first AI-generated child sex abuse images

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The organisation – which works to identify and remove online …

Lack of awareness about abuses a key driver of rising cybercrimes involving children
1 year, 8 months ago

Lack of awareness about abuses a key driver of rising cybercrimes involving children

The Hindu  

Lack of uniformity in cybersecurity-enabled devices, absence of actionable parental concern, and lack of awareness among children about cyberabuses are key drivers of rising cybercrimes involving children in India, cautioned Shamini Murugesh, Chief Mentor, WNS Cares Foundation and Creator of CyberSmart, a free-for-all, gamified portal for children, that teaches ways to stay safe online in a fun way. Cyberstalking, cyberbullying, …

'Child porn content in UK doubled in two years, children below 2 most affected'
1 year, 8 months ago

'Child porn content in UK doubled in two years, children below 2 most affected'

Firstpost  

According to the study, 81% of the pictures of abuse that were found were of young infants under the age of two. While the remainder contained 17% of those aged eleven to thirteen, 20% of those aged seven to ten, and 50% of those aged three to six London: An internet watchdog has discovered that criminals are commercialising the sexual …

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