Online child sexual exploitation in the UK has hit record levels, with Snapchat emerging as the most common platform linked to reported offences. Police figures show 122,768 child sexual exploitation offences were recorded in 2024—an increase of 6% from the previous year.

Of these, 51,672 crimes (26%) were linked to online abuse. Snapchat alone accounted for 11,912 cases, far exceeding WhatsApp (1,870) and Instagram (1,705).

Acting Chief Constable Becky Riggs, national lead for child protection and abuse investigation, said social media companies must do far more to stop children being exposed to illegal content.
“I know these platforms could prevent these harms with the technology that’s already available,” she said.

Parents want safer platforms, police demand accountability

Riggs stressed that parents should be able to give a child a phone “knowing it is safe,” but warned that current systems fall short. While the UK government has not planned a social media age ban, ministers say they are closely watching Australia’s newly introduced restrictions.

Police leaders, however, stopped short of calling for an outright ban. “The utopia is a hard stop that prevents the crime before it happens,” Riggs added.

Majority of perpetrators are white British, data shows

Of all recorded offences, ethnicity was logged for 34% of victims and perpetrators.
Among known offenders:

  • 86.9% were white British (compared to 74.4% of the population)
  • 3.94% were Pakistani, slightly above their population share of 2.7%
  • 78.03% of group-based abuse offenders were white British

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood wants ethnicity recorded in all cases, but police say this is impossible due to incomplete reports, unknown suspects, and non-engaging victims.

Snapchat responds

In a statement, Snapchat said it works closely with police and safety experts to “prevent, identify and remove” harmful activity and reports offenders to authorities. The platform highlighted measures such as blocking teens from search results, mutual-friend contact requirements, and in-app warnings.

Despite these measures, police say the rapid rise in online exploitation shows major platforms must act far more aggressively to stop harm before it reaches children.