Northumbria Police in call for parents and carers to help tackle rise in child exploitation

Detectives from the Force’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) are urging families to have open and honest conversations about which apps, platforms and sites are being used, and what content is being shared and viewed.

The plea comes as the number of child abuse images circulating online continues to rise across the world – with the Internet Watch Foundation citing a 1,000% rise since 2019.

And statistically, one of the groups most likely to see and share that content, and risk falling foul of the law is teenage boys.

Detective Sergeant Dave Henderson from Northumbria Police’s crime department said: “Young people are incredibly switched on when it comes to technology and how to use it.

“Teenagers especially are more likely to push the boundaries when it comes to getting round privacy settings and accessing materials they know they shouldn’t.

“It might feel intrusive to ask which apps are being used, what content is being viewed or shared – but it’s no different to asking where your child is going at night and who they are hanging out with – it’s basic safety.

“Please help us reinforce what the law states so that your child does not fall victim to an online predator, or risk becoming an offender inadvertently by clicking on the wrong things and naively sharing with their friends.

“Recently, we have seen an increase in the number of males aged between 14 and 18 accessing indecent, explicit and illegal materials like child sexual abuse, and we’d especially ask parents and guardians of this age range to have those conversations – it’s a lot easier coming from you, than from an officer.”

Det Sgt Henderson added: “We are working hard to tackle online abuse and child sexual exploitation and do this by teaming up with law enforcement across the world to pursue offenders and identify and protect victims. We also work with the platforms themselves, with charities and schools – but in order to really make sure that message lands, we really need the support of parents and carers.

“Please help us by having honest, open, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations with your children.”

If you need support, or would like to learn more, visit the Internet Watch Foundation.