A warning this report contains distressing details.
The social media app Snapchat is being used by paedophiles and violent criminals to target thousands of children a year, an ITV News investigation has found.
Across 37 police forces, there were more than 100,000 offences involving the app over the past five years. In the cases where ages were provided, 6 in 10 of the victims were children or teenagers.
It’s not always clear how Snapchat was involved, but the crimes include multiple cases of rape and sexual assault.
A Snapchat spokesperson told ITV News that the company is "working hard to combat" sexual exploitation, "including by continuously evolving our safety mechanisms as criminals change their tactics."
#snapchat #onlinesafety #children #socialmedia
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