The Serious Crime Bill has now reached the Commons Committee stage. An amendment to the bill has been tabled which, if passed, will make it a criminal offence for an adult to send a sexual message to a child aged under 16. The tabling of the amendment has been attributed to campaigning by the NSPCC against what they describe as "inadequacies in the current law" that leave many young people at increased risk of online and offline grooming and sexual exploitation.
Need for a separate offence
In 2013, the NSPCC's ChildLine service reported a 168% increase in children and young people contacting them about online sexual abuse, and there are concerns that the more widespread use of internet and other communication technologies among young people has placed greater numbers at increased risk of grooming.
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