'Indefensible' increase in child sex abuse image crime as NSPCC calls on action from Facebook and Snapchat

Figures from the NSPCC indicate that there was an 11 per cent increase of reports of child sexual abuse images crime to West Yorkshire Police between the year to March 2024 and March 2025.

The children’s charity is calling on tech companies such as Meta and Snapchat to embed technology on children’s phones that blocks nude images from being created, shared or viewed – and for the Government to take further action if they fail to.

Mr Sherwood said: “Children across the UK are being completely failed by tech companies that should be protecting them online. We cannot keep letting them off the hook when they can do more to prevent this from happening in the first place.”

West Yorkshire Police has said it is “committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse” and that it is “adapting to the changing nature“ of child abuse crime.

A Snapchat spokesperson said that the report “does not accurately reflect our efforts to tackle these horrific crimes”.

The data from the NSPCC reveals that the total number of reports of child sexual abuse image crimes, such as possession and distribution, across the UK are rising.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by the NSPCC revealed that between April 2024 to March 2025 there were 36,829 recorded offences of indecent and prohibited images of children across the UK; an increase of nine per cent among the 42 forces that replied to the request.

Data from across Yorkshire showed a total of 5,376 crimes were recorded in that period, up 15 per cent from 4,695 the previous year, and in West Yorkshire there was a total of 2,535, which was up 11 per cent from the previous year’s total of 2,278.

Mr Sherwood said: “It is utterly indefensible that we are still seeing around 100 child sexual abuse image offences recorded every single day (in the UK).

“Behind every one of these offences is a child who has been groomed, abused and manipulated. They are left to carry the trauma, whilst tech companies continue to profit handsomely.

“Technology already exists that could be deployed today to stop children from taking, sharing or receiving nude images. So, the real question is: what’s stopping them? If they continue to drag their feet, Government must show their might by stepping in and compelling them to act.”

Moreover, of the 10,811 crimes where law enforcement recorded a social media platform being used by perpetrators, 43 per cent took place on Snapchat – a total of 4,615.

Meta platforms accounted for almost a quarter of all offences (24 per cent), with eight per cent on Instagram, seven per cent on WhatsApp, five per cent on Facebook and four per cent on Messenger.

The Government committed in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy to work with tech companies to stop children in the UK from taking or sharing nude images.

The NSPCC has called on tech companies to “act now” and embed effective protections for children. They argue that using existing technologies on children’s phones that blocks illegal images in real time would help prevent these crimes from happening in the first place.

‘Horrific crimes’

A spokesperson for SnapChat said: “We work closely with NSPCC and police to help keep our platform safe and combat child sexual exploitation.

“This report does not accurately reflect our efforts to tackle these horrific crimes and fails to recognise that information sent to police (through what are known as CyberTips) helps support their investigations to bring criminals to justice.

“We will continue to do our part because we know that seriously addressing these issues requires collaboration from stakeholders across many segments of our society, including law enforcement, experts, parents, educators, advocates and tech companies.”

‘Changing nature of crime’

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “West Yorkshire Police are committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse and bringing offenders to justice, preventing offending and re-offending, protecting and safeguarding children and young people, and supporting all victims and survivors.

“We treat the taking, making or distribution of an indecent image of a child very seriously. We have an ethos of seeking continuous improvement with the intention of adapting to the changing nature of crime, safeguarding the public from developing risks and protecting vulnerable people from both existing and new forms of exploitation including online.

“We are working with partners at a strategic level to continually improve the collective recognition and response to exploitation.

“All investigations involving child victims of sexual abuse, regardless of the age of the person responsible, are dealt within a multi-agency environment, involving our external partners, particularly Social Services. This approach allows not only for the most effective investigation but ensures appropriate Safeguarding measures are considered for any child deemed to be at risk.”