Reports of child sex abuse committed by other children have rocketed by 71 per cent in four years – with experts blaming the rise of online porn.
Data released under the Freedom of Information Act shows the number of ‘peer-on-peer’ offences reported to police among under-18s rose from 4,603 in 2013 to 7,866 last year.
Among under-tens, the figure has more than doubled in some areas.
The Daily Mail’s Block Online Porn campaign has called for automatic blocks on pornography to protect under-18s.
Reports of child sex abuse committed by other children have rocketed by 71 per cent in four years – with experts blaming the rise of online porn. It will be explored in Panorama
It is feared a rising number of youngsters are watching hardcore porn on their smartphones and tablets and may be seeking to act out what they have seen on their friends and classmates.
Parents are often unaware because, even if porn-blocking software is installed at home, many pupils can view it on friends’ devices.
The data, obtained by the BBC’s Panorama, came from 38 of the 43 police forces across England and Wales.
It showed there were almost 30,000 reports of children sexually assaulting other youngsters in the last four years.
The investigation found 2,625 of the reported sexual offences, including 225 alleged rapes, happened on school premises, including primary school playgrounds.
Almost three-quarters of all cases – 74 per cent – reported to 36 forces between April 1, 2013 and May 31, 2017 resulted in no further action. And figures from 30 forces show reports of sexual offences by children aged ten and under have more than doubled from 204 in 2013-14 to 456 in 2016-17.
One girl said that at the age of 13 she was sexually assaulted by a boy in a toilet at a family party. She said: ‘It made me feel disgusting.’
Sarah Hannafin, policy adviser at the National Association of Head Teachers, said: ‘Young people now have got access to inappropriate content.
‘It’s not just pornography – it’s dating sites, social media, and a lot of that content normalises negative attitudes and negative behaviours.’ Some children told the programme how they felt let down and isolated after reporting abuse.
One said: ‘It’s not what actually happens that has the worst effect on you, it’s what comes after it. It’s the being disbelieved, it’s the people failing you.’
Abused children and their parents also spoke of struggling to get help from schools or the authorities.
One victim said: ‘There was no talk about the police or telling his parents or taking it further, it was only really, “stay away from him in lessons”.’
Another child’s parent said: ‘I couldn’t believe that we’re in the 21st century in Britain and we are allowing sexual abuse to continue, and for victims to go unsupported.’
One girl to feature in the Panorama investigation said that at the age of 13 she was sexually assaulted by a boy in a toilet at a family party. She said: ‘It made me feel disgusting’
Government guidance tells teachers they have a legal duty to report allegations of sexual assaults on children by adults.
But Panorama claims there is no such duty when a child is accused, with schools told to follow their own child protection procedures.
A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘Sexual assault is a crime and any allegation should be reported to the police. Schools should be safe places and they have a duty to protect all pupils and listen to any concerns.’
An investigation by the Press Association earlier this year revealed that hundreds of pupils had been excluded from school in the past four years after being involved in sexual acts, including watching and sharing porn.
- Panorama: When Kids Abuse Kids is broadcast tonight on BBC 1 at 8.30pm.