Young people worried about online sexual exploitation says Childline

Thousands of young people are turning to Childline because they're worried about online sexual exploitation.

New figures from the helpline, a service provided by the NSPCC, show the number of counselling sessions for children worried about online sexual abuse rose across the UK last year (2015-16) by 24% to 3,716.

Most of these were aged 12-15 and almost two-thirds were girls. One in eight of the sessions related specifically to grooming, an increase of 21%.

Volunteers carried out 85 counselling sessions focused on online grooming with children who specified that they were contacting them from Wales.

The true figure is likely to be higher, with the country a young person called from not known in 890 of the 3,716 contacts.

Previous research from the charity has revealed how the internet is increasingly used as a gateway by offenders to commit crimes including sexual assaults, sexual exploitation and grooming.

Now Childline is launching a new campaign. 'Listen To Your Selfie' is aimed at helping young people recognise the signs of grooming and unhealthy relationships, both online and offline.