Tech driving epidemic of child abuse

ALMOST one in 20 children in the UK have been raped or sexually abused, with one in 10 exposed to unwanted sexual content online, a shocking study found.

- By Lucy Johnston SOCIAL AFFAIRS EDITOR

The research by Childlight, a global child safety institute based at the University of Edinburgh, revealed an epidemic of abuse - often perpetrated by trusted adults both behind closed doors and on screens.

It found 608,763 youngsters have been raped or sexually assaulted before the age of 18. Meanwhile, more than a million have been groomed, coerced, exploited or exposed to sexual content online, including Al-generated sex abuse images of children.

The UK figures were published in Childlight's major new study Into the Light.

It comes as research revealed an alarming 1,325% surge in Al-generated child sexual abuse material since 2023.

Images now include “deepfakes” of minors' faces placed on to naked bodies, or blended synthetic/real abuse videos.

Childlight warned many abusers are family members or trusted adults who coerce young people into creating or sharing explicit clips or photos as part of grooming rituals.

These images are then traded through encrypted networks, private messaging apps and even mainstream social media.