Revealed: how child groomers use Facebook and Instagram in Sussex

By The Newsroom
Published 19th Jun 2018, 08:48 BST
Updated 19th Jun 2018, 16:58 BST
The NSPCC is calling for robust lawsThe NSPCC is calling for robust laws
The NSPCC is calling for robust laws
Social media like Facebook and Snapchat have been used in 33 cases of child grooming in Sussex in the last year, new figures reveal.

Since a new anti-grooming law came into force last year more than 3,000 offences have been recorded across the country.

Peter Wanless, chief executive of childrens charity NSPCC, said: “These numbers are far higher than we had predicted, and every single sexual message from an adult to a child can have a huge impact for years to come.”

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Lucie (not her real name) is from the Sussex area, and has bravely come forward to tell her story.

NSPCC chief executive Peter WanlessNSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless
NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless

She said: “I remember thinking at the time that it might be wrong but we’d been friends for a long time so I thought it would be fine. No one had ever spoken to me about abuse before.”

Click here to read Lucie’s harrowing story, and about how she got involved with the NSPCC.

In the 2,097 cases where police forces revealed the methods of grooming, 70 per cent involved the use of Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram.

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Mr Wanless added: “Social networks have been self-regulated for a decade and it’s absolutely clear that children have been harmed as a result.

Sussex Police recorded 33 crimes where social media was used for groomingSussex Police recorded 33 crimes where social media was used for grooming
Sussex Police recorded 33 crimes where social media was used for grooming

“I urge Digital Secretary Matt Hancock to follow through on his promise and introduce safety rules backed up in law and enforced by an independent regulator with fining powers.