Thousands of young people turning to Childline worried about online sexual exploitation

• Childline launches new ‘Listen To Your Selfie’ campaign

The growing use of apps and webcams is leading to more children becoming potential victims of grooming for sex.

New figures from Childline, a service provided by the NSPCC, show the number of counselling sessions for children worried about online sexual abuse rose across the UK last year (2015-16) by 24% to 3,716. Most of these were aged 12-15 and almost two-thirds were girls. One in eight of the sessions related specifically to grooming, an increase of 21%.

Volunteers carried out 85 counselling sessions focused on online grooming with children who specified that they were contacting them from Wales. The true figure is likely to be higher, with the country a young person called from not known in 890 of the 3,716 contacts.

Previous research from the charity has revealed how the internet is increasingly used as a gateway by offenders to commit crimes including sexual assaults, sexual exploitation and grooming. Now Childline is launching a new campaign. ‘Listen To Your Selfie’ is aimed at helping young people recognise the signs of grooming and unhealthy relationships, both online and offline.

The campaign, which has been funded by BBC Children in Need, features two films where selfies come to life and question a situation – The Game focuses on a same-sex online grooming scenario – and The Party highlights peer to peer sexual pressure and grooming.

A 15-year-old boy from Cardiff told counsellors:

“I think I’m being groomed. There is a guy I have met online and he asks if he can meet me and said he wants to buy me gifts. He has asked for pictures and one time I made the mistake of sending a nude selfie. He won’t show me any pictures of him, which makes me think he is fake. I have not agreed to meet him because I am scared.  He has threatened to show my nude selfie to the world.  I am gay, but nobody knows, so it would ruin me if people found out. I cry myself to sleep every night with worry.”

Another boy, from Prestatyn, said:

“I am worried about my sister.  I have found out she has sent some nudes to her boyfriend.  I have also seen the content of some of the messages between them which were very sexually explicit.  I don’t know what to do as if I say anything I will be also admitting that I have been going through her stuff.”

Head of NSPCC Cymru / Wales, Des Mannion, said:

“Most of us talk to people online and it’s a great way to stay connected and make new friends. But it can be a playground for paedophiles, exposing young people to groomers who trawl social networks and online game forums, exploiting any vulnerability they may find.

“It’s clear this is a problem for many children in Wales and we are committed to offering them all possible support.

“Young people may not understand what is right or wrong in a relationship or what to do if something makes them feel uncomfortable, online or offline.

“‘Listen to your selfie’ is aimed at helping young people recognise signs they are being manipulated, controlled or exploited, so they feel empowered to make their own decisions or choices. We hope that by putting this in the spotlight we can help young people feel able to speak up if they feel worried or scared about a situation or relationship.”

Childline founder, Esther Rantzen said: “The internet has brought many positive changes. For instance, most of Childline’s contacts from children and young people are now online.  But it has also brought dangers, and online grooming is a real risk.  Very often young people tell us of their feelings of shame because they don’t recognize that they are not to blame. One young person who had been persuaded to send explicit pictures of herself told us ‘I walked myself into this mess, I couldn’t ask for help.’

“It can be very hard for young people to identify that they are being manipulated or exploited, or to recognise that something is not right. We want children and young people to know that Childline is there for them, whatever their worry, to answer any questions and offer support and advice.”

Children and young people can contact Childline for free, confidential support and advice, 24 hours a day on 0800 1111 or at www.childline.org.uk