Thousands of UK young people caught watching online child abuse images

Exclusive: children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland found watching or sharing ‘the most abhorrent’ images, Guardian investigation reveals

Several thousand young people are being caught each year sharing or watching indecent images of children – including child abuse material – a Guardian investigation has revealed.

Figures obtained through freedom of information (FoI) requests to police forces across England, Wales and Northern Ireland show that in some regions the majority of people identified by police as watching or sharing indecent images of children are under 18.

While some of the child cases involved sexting [the consensual sharing of sexual images] between teens, others have been found watching “the most abhorrent material”, said detective chief inspector Tony Garner, who leads an online child sexual exploitation team based in Worcester.

If a child is concerned about images they may have shared themselves this can be reported via ChildLine’s joint service with the Internet Watch Foundation, ‘Report Remove’. You can also report child sexual abuse imagery via the same website. If you are concerned about a young person’s sexual behaviour, visit: shorespace.org.uk.