Frightening new research has found that children as young as seven years of age are posting explicit images of themselves on the internet after being preyed on by adults through webcams.
The research, carried out by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), found that internet predators are communicating with young children via webcam and asking them to pose for explicit images, which are then falling into the hands of sex offenders.
In just three months last year, researchers found 4,000 videos and photos of which 667 featured children aged 15 or younger. A further 286 of these featured children believed to be 10 years or younger, while one video reportedly featured a seven-year-old girl dressed in underwear, lying on her bed and exposing herself to a webcam.
Commenting on the alarming statistics, the report’s lead author Sarah Smith urged parents to be vigilant: “This is one of the most shocking studies I’ve been involved in, and we were very surprised at what we were seeing, because of the age of the children.”
She added that while they were unable to determine what motivated these children to participate in the videos and photos, researchers observed that the chance to gain popularity on social media, bullying or blackmail may have played major roles.
Head of child online safety at the NSPCC, Claire Lilley, called on the Government to crack down on these horrifying offences by online predators.
“This is a horrifying situation for the young victims who will be scared and bewildered by what is happening. To protect them there must be more investment in crime enforcement agencies so they have the manpower and latest technology to prevent this hideous abuse,” she said.
