Police record over 100 child sex abuse image crimes every day

More than 100 child sex abuse image crimes are being recorded by police every day, according to new statistics revealed by the Home Office.

The shocking data shows that forces in England and Wales logged 38,685 incidents in the past year. 

According to research by the NSPCC, around half of all offences took place on Snapchat, with 11 per cent on Instagram, seven per cent on Facebook and six per cent on WhatsApp.

Charities including the NSPCC and Barnardo’s have urged the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Tech Secretary Peter Kyle to take stronger action on the worst kinds of online abuse, arguing that children will not be protected under regulator Ofcom’s current plans.

Head of NSPCC, Chris Sherwood, said: “It is an outrage that in 2025 we are still seeing a blatant disregard from tech companies to prevent this illegal content from proliferating on their sites.”

A Government spokesman said: “The Government is committed to the robust implementation of the Online Safety Act to ensure it delivers on its aim to make the UK the safest place online for children.”