Police visited 56 North Wales families over children’s online images

North Wales Police officers made 56 visits to children and family members during August after identifying young people who had uploaded self-generated nude images online. The force said the images appeared on platforms including Snapchat, Discord and YouTube and could expose children to grooming or blackmail.

A small number of the children visited had already been targeted by online scammers, according to the force, and indecent material had been shared online. Police did not publish a breakdown by platform, location or outcome.

Advice for families

Support packs were offered to parents and carers. Detective Inspector Sofiah Valentine urged families to have open conversations about children’s online activity, warning that an image can be difficult to control once it has been uploaded and may reappear years later.

The force’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team carried out the visits in addition to its normal work and planned warrants. Officers also made several unannounced visits to people under investigation for offences involving child sexual abuse material to check whether bail conditions were being followed. No exact number or outcome from those checks was published.

North Wales Police directs parents to online-safety guidance and says immediate danger should be reported through 999. Its advice page also links to Childline’s Report Remove service, which helps under-18s report sexual images or videos of themselves for removal.