CHILDLINE: Social media platforms could easily reduce the risk if they chose to

We know how easy it can be for those intent on harming young people to exploit the online world to groom and blackmail children into sharing intimate images of themselves.

One 15-year-old girl told Childline: “I’ve been chatting with this guy online who’s like twice my age. This all started on Instagram but lately all our chats have been on WhatsApp.

"He seemed really nice to begin with, but then he started making me do these things to ‘prove my trust’ to him, like doing video chats with my chest exposed.

“Every time I did these things for him, he would ask for more, and I felt like it was too late to back out. I feel so stupid for even going this far.

"This whole thing has been slowly destroying me and I’ve been having thoughts of hurting myself.”

It is shocking that so many young people need to contact Childline about online sexual abuse, when social media platforms could easily reduce the risk if they chose to.

This week, the Government announced it was amending the Online Safety Bill to ensure senior managers would face legal consequences if they failed to take all reasonable steps to stop child sexual abuse.

The NSPCC has been campaigning for this amendment for years.

We are very pleased that the Government has now listened to experts and public polling which suggested fines or criminal charges would encourage tech bosses to protect young people online.

While the Online Safety Bill is not quite there yet, including this amendment ahead of its final Lords debates is a positive step.

It could help protect future generations of children from viewing harmful content including incitement of acts of self-harm and suicide, and keep them safer from online abuse.

However the debate ends up though, Childline will continue to provide a safe, confidential place for children with no one else to turn to, whatever their worry, whenever they need help.

Information and advice can be found online at www.nspcc.org.uk/