Barnardo's statement on Stop It Now figures
Barnardo’s has responded to new figures from Stop It Now which show the number of people contacting its helpline to report concerns about online child abuse images more than doubled in 2021.
In responce, Barnardo’s Interim Co-CEO Lynn Perry MBE said:
“The increase in the amount of child abuse material online is horrific. Viewing these images is illegal and can be just as harmful to children as physical abuse.
“As well as a rise in adults viewing harmful and illegal content, Barnardo’s frontline workers are increasingly seeing children watching violent and abusive pornography online which is affecting their understanding of healthy relationships.
“In order to prevent abuse, it is vital that there is support and advice not just for adults at risk of becoming offenders but also for children showing harmful behaviours. We also need social media and pornography sites to take urgent action to ensure that they are not continuing to host illegal and harmful content on their platforms.”