The dangers of online sexual abuse highlighted by childrens charity

The NSPCC today published a project aimed at highlighting the dangers of "online" sexual abuse involving young people.

The majority of contacts made to the Childline helpline last year that related to online activity were said to involve sexual abuse. More worryingly, 40% of these calls necessitated involving outside agencies who intervened on the callers behalf.

Sexual abuse online relates to activities such as being persuaded to share rude images, website links or participate in lewd conversations that are inappropriate for people under a certain age. Many children are being groomed in this way and often it acts as a prelude to more serious offences being committed upon them. The NSPCC have asked the government to tighten their controls on pornography sites which, claims the charity, are far to easy to access regardless of age.