Cases of online child abuse are on the rise - here’s how to protect your kids

Parents around the world are being warned by police and charities about a rise in paedophiles targeting children online during lockdown.

The volume of obscene material posted online around the world was found to have increased by more than double, reaching four million posts from March to April.

In the last month there have been roughly nine million attempts to access child sexual abuse websites, according to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), an anti-child abuse charity which helps to block and remove such sites by reporting them to internet providers.

Australian police have reported downloads for abusive imagery rose by 86 per cent in only three weeks following their lockdown on 21 March.

Additionally, the police in Denmark have revealed that attempts to access child abuse websites has trebled since the start of their lockdown, while the Spanish National Police have announced that reports of online child sex abuse videos increased by more than 20 per cent.

What is causing the rise?

According to experts, the closure of schools and play parks, along with the rise of online based learning has led to children spending more time online, increasing their risk of grooming.

Commander Paula Hudson of the Australian Federal Police, said offenders will view the pandemic as an opportune time to target children online.

"Across the dark web we've actually identified Covid-19-themed child exploitation forums," said Commander Hudson.

"One particular one we're monitoring has grown by more than 1,000 members. They're actively discussing the Covid opportunity to find more victims.”

The IWF believes that a lack of hotline staff working during the pandemic has caused abusive sites to go unchallenged. The charity has reported that the number of abusive sites being deleted by tech companies has decreased by 89 per cent, since the lockdown began in March.