Violent pornography and access to smartphones are turning children into sex abusers – with more than 6,800 rapes committed by youngsters aged ten to 17 in a year, a report reveals.
In excess of half of all child sexual offences are now committed by other youngsters, the landmark study into the scale of offending across the country has concluded.
Officers have charted an explosion in sexual crimes being committed by teenagers.
As well as the 6,813 rapes in 2022, there were 8,020 sex attacks plus 15,534 cases of indecent images of a child relating to the sharing of naked pictures.
Yesterday the national police lead in tackling child abuse warned that sexual violence has become 'normalised behaviour' for some schoolchildren after years of watching hardcore pornography on their phones.
Figures show that 52 per cent of a total of 106,984 child sexual abuse offences reported to 42 police forces in England and Wales in 2022 were carried out by fellow youngsters in what officers called 'a growing and concerning trend'.
Violent pornography and access to smartphones are turning children into sex abusers – with more than 6,800 rapes committed by youngsters aged ten to 17 in a year, a report reveals
In excess of half of all child sexual offences are now committed by other youngsters
That is a 400 per cent rise from 2013 when it was estimated that child-on-child abuse accounted for a third of those offences.
There was also a raft of recorded offences more traditionally associated with predatory adult paedophiles, including 6,496 crimes involving sexual activity involving a child, 225 sexual grooming crimes, 62 abuse through sexual exploitation and 385 exposure and voyeurism offences.
The youngest 'sex offender' reported to police in that 12-month period was a four-year-old child who uploaded an indecent image of their sibling.
The crimewave is not just fuelled by sexting and 'exploratory online sexual behaviour' among teens going through puberty.
The National Analysis of Police-Recorded Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Crimes Report suggests the increasing availability of smartphones has led to younger children carrying out serious offences.
Ian Critchley, national policing lead for child abuse protection and investigation, said: 'I think this is being exacerbated by the accessibility to violent pornography and the ease in which violent pornography is accessible to boys and a perception that is normalised behaviour.
'Therefore that person can carry out that behaviour that they are seeing online in the most violent way against other peers as well.'
Mr Critchley insisted that police do not want to criminalise a 'generation of young people', adding officers will not necessarily take action if an underage girl shares an indecent image with her boyfriend.
The National Analysis of Police-Recorded Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Crimes Report suggests the increasing availability of smartphones has led to younger children carrying out serious offences
As well as the 6,813 rapes in 2022, there were 8,020 sex attacks plus 15,534 cases of indecent images of a child relating to the sharing of naked pictures (Stock photo)
But forces are concerned by the rise in serious sexual offending often inspired by the pornography teenage boys are watching.
He added: 'This is gender-based crime in how are they are abusing, harassing and in some regards committing sexual assault and rapes against their peers.'
The report stated: 'We're living in a time when anyone of any age can access harmful and abusive pornography online.
'The impact of the next generation can't be understated, with some children being exposed to pornography at nine years old.'
Around 97 per cent of children aged 12 to 15 own a smartphone and 83 per cent of children aged five to seven use a tablet.
Analysts found the most common age of a perpetrator involved in child-on-child abuse is 14 – and where the relationship was recorded, victims knew their abuser in nine out of ten cases.
Although 82 per cent of perpetrators are male, the report identified groups of girls under the age of 18 taking part in sexual communication and indecent images of children offences.
Child abuse within the family environment also remains a common form of reported abuse, accounting for an estimated 33 per cent of offences.
Wendy Hart, deputy director for child sexual abuse at the National Crime Agency, said: 'This report shows the scale of child sexual abuse continues to increase. It highlights it is a largely hidden crime.'
Last edited by a moderator:
