Which social media platform is most commonly used by predators to groom children?

The data shows that around 40% of the recorded online grooming offences in the past year took place on the messaging app Snapchat.

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Experts are calling for technology companies to take greater responsibility for the safety of children on their platforms, implementing stronger safeguards and tools to identify suspicious patterns of behavior that could indicate predatory activity.

Home / Crime and Justice / Alarming Surge in Online Grooming Crimes Targets Children as Young as 4

Alarming Surge in Online Grooming Crimes Targets Children as Young as 4

Q: What is the alarming trend in online grooming crimes in the UK?

According to the NSPCC, online grooming crimes in the UK have reached a record high, with a 4-year-old boy among the victims.

13 Nov

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Summary

Online grooming crimes reach record high in the UK
4-year-old boy among victims, with Snapchat as top platform
Tech firms urged to implement stronger safety measures

Alarming Surge in Online Grooming Crimes Targets Children as Young as 4

According to recent data, online grooming crimes in the UK have reached a record high, with a deeply alarming surge over the past eight years. The NSPCC, a leading child protection charity, has revealed that in the year to March 2025, police forces across the country recorded 7,263 such offences - nearly double the 3,728 cases reported just seven years earlier.

Particularly disturbing is the fact that the youngest victim identified in the past year was a 4-year-old boy. While the charity declined to provide further details to protect the child's identity, the data shows that girls made up 80% of victims where gender was known. The majority of these crimes, around 40%, took place on the messaging app Snapchat, with 9% occurring on WhatsApp and 9% on Facebook and Instagram.