Soaring numbers caught trying to groom children through mobile phones and computers.
Figures obtained under freedom of information reveal there has been a 900% rise in adults arrested for sending grossly offensive or sexually obscene messages to under-16s in the past four years.
In the first eight months of 2013/14 more than 30 people a month were snared for communicating indecently with children. This compares with just three a month four years earlier. Overall, more than a quarter of the cases involved children below the age of 13.
The figures emerged only days after it was revealed crimes involving indecent images of children have rocketed by 760% over the same period from 69 to 595 a year.
Child safety campaigners have raised serious concerns about the increase. Police chiefs believe it is down to a growing confidence that action will be taken when reporting internet predators.
Alison Todd, of charity Children 1st said: “This increase is alarming and suggests a worrying trend in behaviour by adults towards children and young people.
“It’s important to remember that every sexual abuse offence involves a real child who has been harmed by that incident. Sending children unwanted written or verbal sexual communications is a form of sexual abuse.”
The figures obtained from Police Scotland reveal that in the 12 months to April 2011, 40 adults were charged with communicating indecently with children aged 15 or under. Thirteen of those involved victims under the age of 13.
However, the numbers have risen astronomically, with 243 people arrested for the same offence in the first eight months of 2013/14, the latest period figures are available. Some 67 of those had preyed on kids aged 12 and younger.
Mum-of-five Becca Morgan, who launched child-friendly social media website jabble.co.uk last year, believes a new approach needs to be taken to safeguard children online. “There is currently an unavoidable reality facing parents with young or vulnerable children,” she said. “Children have the ability to beam images and information about themselves around the globe in a fraction of a second.
“Most are unaware that the majority of networking tools like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram default the user’s privacy settings to public, allowing anyone else using these services to view their personally identifiable information.
“Child safety used to be about crossing the road but today the internet is the highway threatening our children’s safety.”
Detective Inspector Peter Lloyd, who runs Police Scotland’s internet investigations unit, said: “These figures could suggest that the public are more willing to report such matters to the police.
“The figures quoted are reflective of Police Scotland determination to tackle this issue along with other online criminality, and our resolve to ‘keeping people safe’ applies as much online as it does offline.”
Jonathan Baggily, head of education at the National Crime Agency’s child exploitation and online protection centre, added: “Online safety is not a job for just one organisation.
“With modern technology and the internet now being a part of our everyday lives, it is up to every one of us to ensure we stay safe in the online world.”
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