UK crime company warns on-line platforms ‘unsafe’ for kids as abuse experiences develop
The National Crime Agency said the ‘online environment as it stands is unsafe for children’ as figures show more than 90% of child sex abuse material taken down contains content made by victims
‘Officers and policing colleagues investigate horrific cases that prove the online environment as it stands is unsafe for children,’ says NCA director general
Britain’s crime agency is calling for greater protections for kids online as figures show more than 90% of child sex abuse material taken down contains content made by victims.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed the horrific data as it warned the “online environment as it stands is unsafe for children”. The organisation has said it received almost 100,000 reports of child sex abuse from online platforms in 2025 – a fourfold increase compared to six years ago.
It is also estimated around 840,000 UK adults pose a sexual risk to children with cases including kids being groomed by strangers on websites and social media platforms. In one notorious case police have identified 320 victims of a ‘sextortion’ network of 6,000 members.
It saw schoolgirls tricked into sending nude images by sick offenders, before threats to distribute the image were made in an attempt to demand more. This escalated to extreme abuse including degrading acts on livestreams including self-harm.
NCA Director General Graeme Biggar said: “Every day NCA officers and policing colleagues investigate horrific cases that prove the online environment as it stands is unsafe for children.
“The scale is staggering, for example, last month tech companies report 400 suspected instances of online child sexual abuse in the UK every day. These cases are not only growing in number, but in severity, and are involving younger children.”
He added: “Children producing and being sent nude images on devices, including in end to end encrypted services, enables forms of child sexual abuse offending, like grooming, and financially motivated sexual extortion as well as self-generated imagery.
“Placing controls on children’s phones provides an opportunity to protect children and stop some offending at source.”
The NCA’s call for greater protections for children online comes after the Technology Secretary Liz Kendall separately told the Sunday Mirror “drastic” action was needed to protect kids.
She said a ban on social media for under-16s was “definitely on the table” in the strongest indication yet ministers are preparing to block millions from using apps like TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
She told us: “It’s been a really overwhelming response from parents, and I think parents are crying out for help and support. They know that there are some good things that kids can get from it [social media] but they are worried about what they’re seeing.
“I think the fact that nine out of 10 parents who responded to the consultation want a social media ban for under 16s shows how strongly parents feel.”
