Abuse is being live streamed on social media, says Interpol

Interpol has stated that social media is being used to exploit children.

(Picture: MOD).

Is social media feeding into the dark and evil world of online abuse?

According to Stephen Kavanagh, Executive Director of Police Services at Interpol, content is being uploaded to social media showing explicit images of children.

As reported in the Telegraph, social media and live-streaming platforms allow predators to dictate criminal acts in real time from thousands of miles away.

“This has increased since Covid and it is growing,” said Mr Kavanagh in an interview with the Telegraph.

“The scale of the numbers means that it almost overwhelms us.”

It’s estimated that millions of children worldwide are being abused to order via live video streams.

Most demand stems from Western countries.

In Britain, 1.4 per cent of the male population has engaged in an illegal webcam interaction with a child, according to research from the University of Edinburgh, equivalent to more than 450,000 men.

Reportedly, social media and video communication platforms can be used as hunting grounds for predators.

On Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok criminals gain to access material anonymously and discreetly.

As a result of their viewing habits, ‘like’ activity and existing network of followers and friends, offenders are recommended to one another and traffickers through social media site algorithms. - The rise of live-streamed child abuse – and Britain's role in it (telegraph.co.uk)