A specialist policing team dedicated to catching online predators are urging parents and carers to consider online safety for their children during summer.
The Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) work every day to stop online child abuse in North Wales.
Between 2024 and 2025, North Wales Police saw a 145% increase in referrals received into the department, which demonstrates the ever-increasing risks to children online.
OCAIT PC Amit Patel said: “Young people are being targeted and exploited on social media platforms such as Snapchat, X, Telegram and Discord.
“We are constantly evolving our techniques to keep up with technology advances to catch perpetrators.”
During the summer holidays, it is likely that children will spend more time online which is why the team are running a safeguarding intensification month in August.
The team encourage parents and carers to speak openly with young people about the dangers of chatting to people they have not met in real life, as well as spotting the signs of grooming and exploitation.
PC Patel continued: “Nobody should ever feel pressured into sending nude images. Once they are out there, they can never be taken back and can be shared without consent so easily.
“Having honest conversations about online safety and privacy settings could prevent potentially dangerous and risky situations.”
Additionally, the team are warning adults to consider their own actions on social media.
Detective Inspector Sofiah Valentine said: “Nationally, we are seeing severe content being created using ‘nudify’ images and AI chatbots.
“Child Sexual Abuse images created by AI are illegal and cause real-life harm.”
Nudify images are when an innocent image is turned into an indecent image using AI, including stripping children of clothing.
The Internet Watch Foundation found that AI-generated child sexual abuse material increased by 26000% in 2025.
Data from UNICEF, INTERPOL and ECPAT suggest that in some countries 1 in 25 children have had photos of them modified into indecent images AI.
DI Valentine continued: “Innocent photos of children shared with good intentions are used by perpetrators to create indecent images.
“This is every parent’s worst nightmare and something that the vast majority of us would never wish on a child.
“For those parenting in the age of social media, the online privacy of children is a highly debated topic, but as an officer working in children protection, I’d argue this surpasses privacy and is a matter of safety.
“This is something that can also affect adults who have had their childhood photos posted. Anyone with concerns that they may be a victim of these offences are encouraged to report to police.”
The Internet Watch Foundation and National Crime Agency advise parents and carers to:
- Keep social media accounts private and use “close friends” lists when sharing photos of their children.
- Audit posts which show a child’s face, body or school uniform.
- Check what has been posted by family and friends.
- Be mindful of what is published by schools and clubs and any consent forms signed.
Anybody with concerns around online child sexual exploitation should report information to police, anonymously via Crimestoppers or reach out to a support agency.
