They try to distract us by saying, “Look over there,” when statistically it was them all along.
Snapchat Most Common Platform in Child Exploitation Reports as Police Warn of Rising Online Abuse
Snapchat is the most commonly used social media platform in reported child exploitation and abuse offences, according to new police figures that reveal a sharp rise in online harm to children.
In 2024, police recorded 122,768 child sexual exploitation offences, an increase of 7,279 cases (6%) compared with 2023.
Online child sexual exploitation and abuse rose even more steeply. A total of 51,672 offences—26% more than the previous year—were recorded online, accounting for 42% of all child sexual exploitation crimes.
Snapchat dominates platforms linked to abuse
Of the online offences recorded:
- 11,912 involved Snapchat
- 1,870 involved WhatsApp
- 1,705 involved Instagram
Acting Chief Constable Becky Riggs, the national policing lead for child protection and abuse investigation, said platforms must take greater responsibility to prevent and detect criminal activity.
“I know that these platforms, with the technology that’s out there, could prevent these harms from occurring in the first instance,” she said.
“Parents should be able to buy their children a phone safe in the knowledge that it will be safe to use.”
Riggs said police were now working directly with some tech companies to explore ways of blocking abusive behaviour before it occurs. While the government has no current plans to introduce a ban on children using social media—as Australia has recently done—ministers say they are monitoring the impact of the move.
Most perpetrators of abuse are white British
The police data also shed light on offender demographics. Of the 122,768 offences recorded last year, ethnicity was documented for 34% of both victims and perpetrators.
Among perpetrators whose ethnicity was recorded:
- 86.9% were white British, compared with 74.4% of the national population (2021 Census).
- In cases meeting the criteria for group-based child abuse, often described in public debate as “grooming gangs”:
- 3.94% of offenders were Pakistani, compared with 2.7% of the population
- 78.03% were white British
These figures underline that the majority of identified offenders come from white British backgrounds, even within categories often misrepresented in political commentary.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said she wants ethnicity recorded in all cases, but police leaders say this is not realistic due to the nature of investigations.
How the far right weaponises this issue for criminal and harmful ends
Police, researchers and counter-extremism specialists warn that far-right groups routinely distort child-protection statistics to create division, spread disinformation, and justify criminal behaviour.
Typical tactics include:
- Cherry-picking minority offender data while ignoring the much larger number of white British offenders.
- Falsely portraying child abuse as exclusively linked to particular ethnic or religious communities in an attempt to incite hatred or vigilante activity.
- Using online abuse cases to recruit followers, especially young men, by claiming the state is “covering up” crimes.
- Mobilising supporters for harassment or violent “direct action”, which itself constitutes criminal activity and often further traumatises victims and communities.
These narratives are not only factually inaccurate but actively harmful. They can deter survivors from seeking help, disrupt police investigations, and fuel dangerous conspiracy theories online.
Tech companies respond
A Snapchat spokesperson said the platform works closely with police, NGOs and safety experts to remove abusive content and prevent contact between children and adults seeking to do harm.
The company highlighted measures such as limiting how teens appear in search results, requiring mutual connections for messaging, and issuing in-app warnings for young users.
“We will keep strengthening our safety tools with the goal of making Snapchat an inhospitable place for people intent on doing harm,” the company said.
A growing challenge
Police leaders say that while recording practices are improving, the scale of offending—particularly online—underscores the need for stronger safeguards and continued scrutiny of social media platforms.
Gareth Edwards, head of the Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme, said achieving full data completeness is impossible, but improving accuracy remains a key goal.
