Police have announced that the messaging app Snapchat is the most widely-used platform for online grooming. In the year up to March 2024, more than 7,000 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded in the UK, the highest number since the offence was created. Approximately half of the cases where the platform was used for grooming were recorded by the police, according to figures released to children’s charity the NSPCC. Becky Riggs, the National Police Chief’s Council lead for child protection, described the data as “shocking”. Furthermore, the NSPCC claims that the figures show that society is “still waiting for tech companies to make their platforms safe for children.”
Four in five victims of recording grooming offenses in the cases where gender was known were girls. One survivor recounted her experience at the age of eight when she was messaged on a gaming app by a groomer who encouraged her to go on to Snapchat for a conversation. Her mother created a fake Snapchat profile pretending to be her daughter and the man messaged her. She then contacted the police. Regular checks are carried out on her daughter’s devices and messages, regardless of her daughter’s opinion. For parents, responsibility is required in ensuring their child is safe. There is no point in relying solely on apps and games for a parent’s peace of mind.
Rani Govender, child safety online policy manager at the NSPCC, suggests that Snapchat’s popularity with young people makes it a target of exploitation when groomers are looking for vulnerable children. There are also problems with the design of Snapchat which is putting children at risk, explains Govender. Messages and images disappear after 24 hours, making it more challenging to track down incriminating behaviour, and the sender can tell whether the recipient has taken a screenshot. She highlighted that children are expressing concern regarding Snapchat messaging to the NSPCC team.
The instances of grooming being recorded has increased since the offence of Sexual Communication with a Child was legislated in 2017, reaching a record high of 7,062 this year. Of the 1,824 cases where the platform was identified in the last year, 48% were recorded on Snapchat. The figures show that the number of grooming offences recorded on Snapchat increased each year since 2018/19. The NSPCC has informed the BBC that the messaging app has extreme and violent content available and reports on safety concerns are ignored. Social media companies must carry a moral obligation to stop vile abuse from taking place on their platforms. From December, tech firms that act contrary to the Online Safety Act and provide inadequate risk assessments for illegal activities could face significant fines
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