Huge rise in online child abuse images

Written by David Fletcher 16 Jul 2020
Huge rise in online child abuse images

For months both adults and children, many of whom are working at home, have spent significantly more time online. Now the Internet Watch Foundation reports that images of child abuse images online have increased by almost 50% during lockdown. In the eleven weeks from 23 March its hotline logged 44,809 reports of images, compared with 29,698 last year. The Government has promised to draw up legislation to reduce online harm. The fastest-growing category of images being removed in recent years has been those generated by children after grooming or coercion. The updated figures are likely to renew the debate about how to keep children safe, after months of parents grappling to limit children’s online activity. There are now growing concerns that appropriate draft legislation will be delayed by the pandemic.

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  • Pray: for social networks to invest more time and finances in safer and just technology designs without waiting, until they are ordered to do so by a regulator. (Psalm 112:5)