Latest figures from police in the East of England have revealed the highest number of online grooming since the law came into force in 2017/18.

In Bedfordshire, the figure shot up from 14 cases in 2017/18 to 67 in 2024/25 – a 379 per cent rise.

Data from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, Norfolk and Suffolk police forces found that 745 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded last year – more than double the figure recorded when the law came into force in 2017/18 (336).

Between the 2017/18 and 2024/25, Bedfordshire Police recorded 342 recorded cases of sexual communication with a child.

A teenage child looks at the screen of a mobile phone. Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

placeholder image — A teenage child looks at the screen of a mobile phone. Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Bedfordshire Police declined to comment.

Figures from 44 forces across the UK show 7,263 crimes in the last year.

Of the 2,111 offences where police knew which platform was used, Snapchat accounted for 40 per cent of the cases.

Where the gender was known, 80 per cent of children targeted were girls – but the youngest victim of online grooming recorded was a four-year-old boy.

The NSPCC’s chief executive, Chris Sherwood, said: "It’s deeply alarming that online grooming crimes have reached a record high across the UK, taking place on the very platforms children use every day.

“At Childline, we hear first-hand how grooming can devastate young lives. The trauma doesn’t end when the messages stop, it can leave children battling anxiety, depression, and shame for years.

One 14-year-old, who contacted Childline, said: “I feel so insecure all the time, so, when this guy I’ve met online, who’s a few years older, started flirting with me, that made me feel so special. He seemed to care, but now he’s insisting I send him nudes, and I don’t know if he just gave me attention, so I’d send him nudes. I feel like I’ve been tricked but I’m afraid what he might do if I just block him. I can’t control how anxious this makes me feel.”

The NSPCC is urging Ofcom and tech companies to take action to identify and prevent online grooming and has made recommendations to keep children safe online.

It has suggested using tools on a child’s phone that can scan for nude images and identify child sexual abuse material, before its shared.

The charity has also called for barriers to be in place for adult profiles engaging with children on social media, like restricting who they can search for and how many people they can contact.

Chris added: “Tech companies must act now to prevent further escalation. The tools the NSPCC sets out to protect children are ready to use and urgently needed. Importantly, they mean that services can keep children safe while protecting all user’s privacy. Children’s safety must be built into platform design from the start, not treated as an afterthought.”