Estimated 1,700 cybercrimes against children in Wales since Online Harms White Paper published

• NSPCC figures for Wales released as charity urges UK Government to push ahead with world-leading online child safety laws
• It comes on the day a Private Member’s Bill is introduced into the House of Lords that would appoint Ofcom as interim regulator
• Bill will speed up regulation called for by Wild West Web campaign which could protect tens of thousands of children from online abuse

 The NSPCC estimates more than 1,700 child abuse image and sexual grooming offences have occurred in Wales since the Online Harms White Paper was published in April.

Based on the latest police recorded crime data from the first three months of 2019/2020, it is estimated an average of six online abuse offences against a child was recorded in Wales each day in just over nine months.

It comes as the Online Harms Reduction Regulator Bill will be introduced into the House of Lords today (Tuesday), a Private Member’s Bill that requires Ofcom to prepare for regulation by effectively appointing it as an interim online harms regulator.

The charity supports this bill as it speeds up the timescales for the Government to uphold their manifesto promise by introducing comprehensive legislation to protect children from abuse online.

Until then, the charity estimates 90 online child abuse crimes a day across England and Wales could continue to happen.

The legislation would include the establishment of an online regulator that would enforce Duty of Care which would legally require social networks to ensure their platforms are safe for children to use and companies could face fines or criminal prosecution if they breach their responsibilities.

As part of its Wild West Web campaign, the charity has been calling for these plans since April 2018 as it would set a global standard for online child protection.

The NSPCC is now urging the Government to set out a clear timeline for implementation and to introduce a comprehensive Online Harms Bill to set out the powers of the Duty of Care regulator with child safety at the heart of it.

The charity also wants industry to be proactive in identifying and stopping child abuse on their platforms and not waiting until the last possible moment to keep children safe.

Des Mannion, NSPCC Wales Head of Policy, said: “By our estimates, an average of six potential online abuse crimes against children come to light a day in Wales, so it is crystal clear regulation cannot come soon enough.

“The Prime Minister must confirm plans to press ahead with a comprehensive Duty of Care, and urgently introduce an Online Harms Bill that will deliver a well-resourced regulator with the powers to take on big tech.

“Anything less will let tech giants off the hook and have a significant impact on hundreds of children across Wales, their families and law enforcement who are left to fight increasingly complex online child abuse day in and day out.”