Comment on Police Scotland's warning that online child abuse reports have doubled in a year

Commenting on the Chief Constable's evidence to MSPs that online child abuse reports have doubled in a year, Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive, Children First, Scotland’s national children’s charity said:

 “The warning from the Chief Constable that the number of online child abuse reports to the police has more than doubled in a year must be the wake up call that Scotland needs. We are sleepwalking into the digital destruction of childhood. Every child in Scotland is vulnerable to exploitation, violence and sexual abuse on a scale that has never been seen before. The Scottish Government must act now and bring together a new coalition of children’s services, education, child protection, health, justice, the third sector and  tech companies that will fight to protect children and preserve childhood in this digital age.”

In September Children First published a manifesto for the 2026 Holyrood elections which included a call for the next Scottish Government to commit to urgently tackling online harm, its impact on child development and the right to a safe childhood by collaborating on a national public health campaign.   Read more about the manifesto here.