Paedophiles targeting siblings online, researchers warn

In the period between September and December 2020, the Internet Watch Foundation found 511 examples of sibling abuse

‘If parents think their children are safe because they are inside the house, they need to know they are not’ (Getty Images)

Paedophiles are attempting to groom siblings online in a newly emerging trend of sexual abuse, according to a report.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) called for live streaming services to do more to protect children, saying that the pandemic has led to increased use of these for abuse.

According to the report, victims were encouraged to copy adult pornography and ranged in age from three to 16 years old.

Analysts are now also seeing predators tricking children into involving other children, either friends or siblings, in the abuse.

Despite a “common myth” that abuse including siblings was largely limited to poorer countries, the majority of videos the IWF found featured children from the UK, Europe and the US.

Abuse of siblings typically involves an older child who has been coerced into abusing their younger brother or sister, the foundation said.

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One video involved a brother aged six and his sister aged just three, the IWF reported.

Between September and December 2020, the IWF found 511 examples of sibling abuse. This amounts to around one in 30 instances of all “self-generated content” over that time period.

The IWF, a UK charity responsible for locating and removing content child sexual abuse from the internet, called the Covid-19 pandemic a “perfect storm” for abuse.

In an earlier report, the charity said that they had seen a 77 per cent increase in “self-generated” material in 2020. They had also received many more tip-offs to its hotline from the public. 

The charity’s chief executive, Susie Hargreaves, said the demand for abusive content had risen alongside use of live streaming platforms.

Children are also spending an increased amount of time online due to schools being shut and lockdowns being put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The IWF said grooming often started on social media and gaming platforms. Offenders will then go on to encourage children to use video chat with them or live streaming services, with this abuse often taking place in the childrens’ bedrooms.

Some of the perpetrators are adults posing as other children and occasionally the abuse will take the form of a game or dare, meaning some victims may not understand the sexual nature of what they have been coerced into doing.

Ms Hargreaves said: “This tactic is emerging as a disturbing new trend in offender behaviour, and we know the youngest children are the most vulnerable, and often disproportionately suffer the worst kinds of abuse.

“If parents think their children are safe because they are inside the house, they need to know they are not.”

The report comes months after the UK government published its Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy, in an attempt to protect children from child sexual abuse using new legislation and advanced technology. 

A full study will be published in the IWF’s annual report on 21 April.