Police Scotland has recorded over 700 offences involving abuse images each year for the past two years, according to data obtained by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
An additional Freedom of Information request revealed that, of the offences where the platform was noted, half occurred on Snapchat and a quarter on Meta platforms.
A coalition of charities, including the NSPCC, the Marie Collins Foundation, the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, and Barnardo’s, have voiced significant concerns to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper regarding the effectiveness of Ofcom’s Illegal Harms Code of Practice, established in December 2014.
The groups argue that the current regulations do not adequately protect children from severe abuse on private messaging services, contradicting a primary objective of the Online Safety Act.
Over the last five years, Police Scotland has logged 3,419 child sexual abuse image crimes. The figures show a disturbing upward trend: 554 in 2018-19, 584 in 2019-20, 660 in 2020-21, 662 in 2021-22, 765 in 2022-23, and 748 in 2023-24.
Chris Sherwood, NSPCC’s chief executive, expressed alarm at the escalating numbers and criticised tech companies for their failure to prevent the spread of illegal content on their platforms.
“Having separate rules for private messaging services lets tech bosses off the hook from putting robust protections for children in place,” Sherwood stated, adding that such leniency allows these crimes to persist even under the new Online Safety Act.
The UK government has responded firmly, with a spokesperson affirming their commitment to the robust enforcement of the Online Safety Act and to ensuring the UK is the safest place online for children.
The government has introduced four new laws aimed at combating child sexual abuse online and remains prepared to take further action to protect children from online harm.
An Ofcom spokesperson highlighted that while their codes of practice must be technically feasible, the regulator expects platforms to remove harmful content and will hold them accountable if they fail to do so.
Measures are in place requiring platforms to address child sexual abuse material promptly upon detection and report it to law enforcement.
Scotland’s children’s minister, Natalie Don-Innes, noted that while internet regulation is under the UK Government purview, Scottish authorities have actively engaged with Ofcom to bolster online protections for young people.
The Scottish Government continues to advocate for stringent measures to safeguard children and young people online.
