Internet pornography, and young children sending each other sexual images online, have both been partly blamed for an increase in sexual offences in Scotland.
Responding to recent figures, one group warned that children are easily getting hold of “extreme pornography”, while parents were also urged to get a grasp of what their children are seeing online.
Sandy Brindley, from Rape Crisis Scotland, told The Herald newspaper: “There seems to be more young people committing sexual offences and this could be linked to the accessibility of extreme pornography.”
Parents
Gillian Wade, head of the National Sexual Crimes Unit, partly blamed the “unlimited access to the internet and social networking sites” for the rise.
And she said: “Young boys in particular get girls to send them pictures through these sites and then send back images of themselves. Young people can end up being prosecuted for that and, of course, for under-age sex.
“Parents need to be aware this can affect all young people from all walks of life, across all classes. It’s no good to sit back and think that your child isn’t involved.”
And a group which raises awareness of violence against women also warned that young people looking at pornography “definitely contributes to offending and creates a culture in which there’s a sense of entitlement when it comes to sex”.
Increase
According to Scottish Government figures, sex crimes reported to the police rose by a total of 10 per cent in 2011-12 from the previous year.
Rape and attempted rape were up by 13 per cent.
According to media reports, some of the increase could also be explained by new legislation which was introduced at the end of 2010.
Combat
Following the concerns, politicians in Scotland called for action to combat the problem of children accessing pornography.
Last month it was reported that a boy of twelve raped and sexually assaulted a nine-year-old girl after viewing online pornography.