The NSPCC is calling for changes to the Online Safety Bill because of a 'tsunami' of grooming crimes involving children.

Social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and Snapchat were used in more than 70 per cent of crimes recorded by police in 2021/22 when the platform involved was known.

At least four in five grooming cases last year involved were against girls.

Now the NSPCC is calling for the Online Safety Bill to be amended to give communications watchdog OFCOM more powers to proactively tackle abuse in private messaging and make platforms work together to stop grooming pathways, preventing criminals from using social networks to organise abuse.

The charity's chief executive Sir Peter Wanless said: “Online grooming is taking place at unprecedented levels and only concerted action will turn the tide on this tsunami of preventable abuse.

“The crucial Online Safety Bill is the opportunity to deliver the legislative change we urgently need to address head on these preventable crimes against children

“We strongly welcome the Government’s ambition to deliver world-leading legislation. But as it seems increasingly clear that the pandemic has resulted in a long-term increase in the abuse threat, the current proposals must go further now to tackle online sexual violence and prevent avoidable abuse.”

One 15-year-old girl who was groomed on several sites 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.

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