According to police data shared with the NSPCC, Snapchat has emerged as the leading platform for online grooming. Over 7,000 incidents of Sexual Communication with a Child were reported across the UK in the year leading up to March 2024, marking the highest recorded number since this category of offense was established. Nearly half of these cases involved Snapchat, prompting concerns from the NSPCC regarding the safety measures implemented by technology companies for protecting children.

Snapchat responded by stating that it maintains a “zero tolerance” policy against the sexual exploitation of minors and has enhanced safety features for both teens and their parents. Becky Riggs, who leads child protection efforts for the National Police Chief’s Council, described the statistics as alarming. Riggs emphasized that tech companies must take responsibility for safeguarding children online, and called for stricter regulations governing social media platforms.

While law enforcement did not consistently record the gender of grooming victims, statistics indicate that around 80% of identified victims were girls. One case involved a girl named Nicki, who was just eight years old when she received messages from a groomer on a gaming app. The groomer encouraged her to switch to Snapchat for further communication. Nicki’s mother, referred to as Sarah by the BBC, revealed that inappropriate content was shared during these exchanges. To protect her daughter, Sarah created a fake Snapchat account impersonating Nicki and contacted law enforcement after receiving troubling messages.

Sarah now routinely monitors her daughter’s devices and messaging activities despite her daughter’s resistance. She believes it is her duty as a parent to ensure her child’s safety and cautions other parents against relying solely on apps and games for protection.

Although Snapchat is relatively smaller compared to other social media platforms in the UK, its popularity among children makes it an attractive target for potential groomers. Rani Govender from the NSPCC pointed out design flaws within Snapchat that increase risks for children, including disappearing messages after 24 hours which complicate tracking inappropriate behavior.

The NSPCC has received feedback directly from children expressing concerns about Snapchat’s reporting system and exposure to violent content on the app. In response to issues surrounding sexual exploitation, a spokesperson for Snapchat condemned such activities and outlined their protocols for handling reports of abuse.

The frequency of recorded grooming offenses has been rising since Sexual Communication with a Child became an offense in 2017, with 7,062 incidents reported this year alone. The percentage of cases linked to Snapchat has steadily increased each year since 2018/19. Meanwhile, there have been slight increases in reported grooming incidents on WhatsApp in recent years but declines on Instagram and Facebook.

Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, stressed that social media companies must act to prevent such abuse on their platforms or face substantial penalties under the upcoming Online Safety Act. This legislation will require tech firms to publish risk assessments addressing illegal activities on their platforms while enhancing protections for children beginning in December.