More than 300 million children victims fall annually online sexual abuse and exploitationas evidenced by new research.

Researchers at University of Edinburgh found that 1 in 8, or 12.6% of children worldwide have been victims of non-consensual speech, sharing and exposure to sexual images and videos in the past year.

This amounts to approximately 302 million young people.

In addition, 12.5% ​​of children worldwide – 300 million – are estimated to have experienced unwanted sexual discussion, including requests for a sexual act.

Offenses can also take the form of “blackmail”, where predators ask victims for money to keep images private.

Research has found that 7% of British men have admitted to having molested children online at some point, according to the initiative’s new global index Childlight University’s Into The Light.

That’s the equivalent of filling Wembley 20 times over.

“In terms of numbers, this could stretch all the way from Glasgow to London,” said Childlight chief executive Paul Stanfield.

“This is a global pandemic that has been hidden for far too long. It occurs in every country, is growing exponentially and requires a global response. We need to act urgently and treat this as a preventable public health issue. The kids can’t wait.”

The Childlight initiative also found that 1 in 9 men in the US admitted to online child abuse, while 7.5% of men in Australia said the same.

The research also found that many men admitted they would try to commit physical sex offenses against children if they thought it would be kept a secret.