Paedophiles are starting to use virtual reality headsets to view child abuse images, data shows
Paedophiles are starting to use virtual reality headsets to view child abuse images, according to police data.
Use of this technology was recorded in eight cases in 2021/22 – the first time this technology has been specifically mentioned in crime reports.
During that period, police recorded 30,925 offences involving obscene images of children – the highest number logged by forces in England and Wales.
Of these, a social media or gaming site was recorded in 9,888 cases – including Snapchat 4,293 times, Facebook 1,361, Instagram 1,363 and WhatsApp 547.
NSPCC, which collated the data, is calling for a number of amendments to the Online Safety Bill to prevent more children becoming exposed to abuse.
Sir Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: “These new figures are incredibly alarming but reflect just the tip of the iceberg of what children are experiencing online.
“We hear from young people who feel powerless and let down as online sexual abuse risks becoming normalised for a generation of children.
“By creating a child safety advocate that stands up for children and families the government can ensure the Online Safety Bill systemically prevents abuse.”
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The NSPCC also wants a change to the law that would mean senior managers of social media sites are held criminally liable if children are exposed to abuse.
Sir Peter said: “It would be inexcusable if in five years’ time we are still playing catch-up to pervasive abuse that has been allowed to proliferate on social media.”
A government spokesperson said: “Protecting children is at the heart of the Online Safety Bill and we have included tough, world-leading measures to achieve that aim while ensuring the interests of children and families are represented through the children’s commissioner.
“Virtual reality platforms are in scope and will be forced to keep children safe from exploitation and remove vile child abuse content.
“If companies fail to tackle this material effectively, they will face huge fines and could face criminal sanctions against their senior managers.”
A spokesman for Meta – which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – said: “This horrific content is banned on our apps, and we report instances of child sexual exploitation to NCMEC (National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children).
“We lead the industry in the development and use of technology to prevent and remove this content, and we work with the police, child safety experts and industry partners to tackle this societal issue.
“Our work in this area is never done, and we’ll continue to do everything we can to keep this content off our apps.”
A Snapchat spokesperson said: “Any sexual abuse of children is abhorrent and illegal. Snap has dedicated teams around the world working closely with the police, experts and industry partners to combat it.
“If we proactively detect or are made aware of any sexual content exploiting minors, we immediately remove it, delete the account, and report the offender to authorities. Snapchat has extra protections in place that make it difficult for younger users to be discovered and contacted by strangers.”
Roxy Longworth
‘I had no control’
Roxy Longworth was 13 when a 17-year-old boy she didn’t know contacted her on Facebook, before coercing her into sending images via Snapchat.
She said it left her feeling isolated and full of guilt, and soon a friend of his started using the images to push for more explicit pictures.
“My whole life was about doing what he told me, and hiding it from everybody,” Roxy said. “And then obviously the more photos he had, the more he had to blackmail me with until eventually he asked me to send a video. Him and his friend, they just completely owned me at that point, I had no control.”
It had a devastating effect on her mental health.
“The shame of it buried me,” she said. “I ended up becoming very ill. I self-harmed a lot, I stopped sleeping and eventually I was hospitalised with a psychotic episode. I was on suicide watch for about a year.”
She’s written a book called When You Lose It as a means of coming to terms with what happened, but says it is still haunting to know the photos exist.
Roxy added: “It’s just like a creeping feeling that you try and forget about, and then you realise those photos are still out there.
“They were on group chats with hundreds of people on them, they were everywhere.
“And the thing is – those photos are of a 13-year-old girl. That is so messed up. That’s disgusting.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
UK
King praises response to ‘lawless’ UK riots in Christmas message – as he gives ‘personal’ thanks to medics
The King has praised the community response to the “anger and lawlessness” of this summer’s riots in towns and cities around the UK in his annual Christmas message.
Charles, 76, also used the message, filmed by Sky News at the chapel of the former Middlesex Hospital in central London, to thank doctors and nurses who cared for him and his daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales through their cancer treatment this year.
Drawing on the Nativity story’s theme of listening to others, the King said: “Through listening, we learn to respect our differences, to defeat prejudice, and to open up new possibilities.
“I felt a deep sense of pride here in the United Kingdom when, in response to anger and lawlessness in several towns this summer, communities came together, not to repeat these behaviours, but to repair.
“To repair not just buildings, but relationships. And, most importantly, to repair trust; by listening and, through understanding, deciding how to act for the good of all.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla attend church at Sandringham on Christmas morning. Pic: PA
Read more:
Sky News behind the scenes of King’s message
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Almost 1,000 people were arrested during the summer riots, which came in response to misinformation around the deadly stabbing of three children at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport in July.
The King visited the Merseyside town after the killings and the ensuing disorder, during which rioters attacked hotels housing migrants.
His final public engagement of the year was in Walthamstow, east London, where thousands gathered in a counter-protest to condemn the rioting this summer.
The King’s Christmas message spoke of the need to support one another, as “all of us go through some form of suffering at some stage in our life – be it mental or physical”.
“The degree to which we help one another – and draw support from each other, be we people of faith or of none – is a measure of our civilisation as nations,” he said.
He added that “those who dedicate their lives to helping others… continually impress me” and he is “thinking especially of the many thousands of professionals and volunteers here in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth who, with their skills and out of the goodness of their heart, care for others – often at some cost to themselves”.
The Prince and Princess of Wales with their children Louis, Charlotte and George on Christmas Day. Pic: PA
Reflecting on his cancer treatment, which will continue into next year, he gave his “special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who, this year, have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed”.
He also thanked members of the public for their well-wishes after he and the Princess of Wales, 42, returned to public duties in April and September respectively – following courses of cancer treatment.
They and other members of the Royal Family attended church near the Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Christmas morning.
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How Sky News filmed the King’s message
Thoughts with people in ‘Middle East, central Europe and Africa’
The King began his message by recalling his visit to 80th anniversary D-Day commemorations with the Queen in June.
He described meeting “remarkable veterans” and noted that “during previous commemorations we were able to console ourselves with the thought that these tragic events seldom happen in the modern era”.
But he said: “On this Christmas Day, we cannot help but think of those for whom the devastating effects of conflict – in the Middle East, in central Europe, in Africa and elsewhere – pose a daily threat to so many people’s lives and livelihoods.”
He thanked humanitarian organisations working in conflict zones and referenced the gospels’ references to conflict and the “values with which we can overcome” them.
Signing off, he wished “you and all those you love a most joyful and peaceful Christmas”.
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