Parents warned over growing online risks to children during summer holidays

Nation.Cymru staff

Parents are being urged to check their children’s online activity as police report a sharp rise in referrals involving suspected online child abuse.

North Wales Police says referrals to its specialist Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) increased by 145% between 2024 and 2025.

The force is running a month-long safeguarding campaign during August amid concerns children could be at increased risk while spending more time online during the summer holidays.

OCAIT PC Amit Patel said: “Young people are being targeted and exploited on social media platforms such as Snapchat, X, Telegram and Discord.

“We are constantly evolving our techniques to keep up with technology advances to catch perpetrators.”

Police are encouraging parents and carers to talk to children about communicating with people they have never met in person and how to recognise potential signs of grooming and exploitation.

PC Patel said: “Nobody should ever feel pressured into sending nude images. Once they are out there, they can never be taken back and can be shared without consent so easily.

“Having honest conversations about online safety and privacy settings could prevent potentially dangerous and risky situations.”

Officers have also highlighted the growing use of artificial intelligence to create sexualised images of children.

So-called “nudify” technology can be used to alter an ordinary photograph to make it appear as though the person pictured is naked.

Detective Inspector Sofiah Valentine said: “Nationally, we are seeing severe content being created using ‘nudify’ images and AI chatbots.

“Child sexual abuse images created by AI are illegal and cause real-life harm.”

According to figures cited by the force from the Internet Watch Foundation, AI-generated child sexual abuse material increased by 26,000% during 2025.

Police also cited international research suggesting that in some countries one in 25 children has had a photograph altered using AI to create an indecent image.

DI Valentine said: “Innocent photos of children shared with good intentions are used by perpetrators to create indecent images.

“This is every parent’s worst nightmare and something that the vast majority of us would never wish on a child.

“For those parenting in the age of social media, the online privacy of children is a highly debated topic, but as an officer working in child protection, I’d argue this surpasses privacy and is a matter of safety.

“This is something that can also affect adults who have had their childhood photos posted. Anyone with concerns that they may be a victim of these offences are encouraged to report to police.”

Social media

Parents and carers are advised to keep social media accounts private and consider using “close friends” settings when sharing photographs of their children.

They are also being encouraged to review existing posts showing children’s faces, bodies or school uniforms, check photographs shared by relatives and friends and consider what images schools and clubs have permission to publish.

Anyone with concerns about online child sexual exploitation is being urged to contact police or report information anonymously through Crimestoppers.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.