Child Abuse

Online child abuse includes searching for, sharing and downloading images of children being physically and sexually abused and approaching children online with the intention of developing a sexual relationship in the "real" world (so-called "grooming"). Such approaches can involve the assumption of a false identity, in particular the pretence of being a child, although this is not always the case.

Other forms of online child abuse include children bein sent indecent or obscene images, being asked to send indecent images of themselves or their friends, being engaged in sexually explicit talk and being encouraged to perform sexually explicit acts on themselves or their friends (so-called "cybersex")