Social media giants are operating like the ‘Wild West’ after a surge in paedophiles on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, says NSPCC Girls aged 12 to 15 are most at risk but paedophiles target kids as young as five The NSPCC say there are thousands of grooming cases, with ten a day reported Instagram was by far the most dangerous platform, according to the charityBy Daily Mail Reporter Published: 00:52 GMT, 1 March 2019 | Updated: 00:52 GMT, 1 March 2019 Viewcomments Social media giants are operating like the ‘Wild West’ after a surge in paedophiles on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, according to children’s charity the NSPCC. Predators have been recorded grooming children online 5,161 times in the first 18 months since it was made a crime, police figures reveal. There were nearly 2,000 grooming cases in the six months to September 2018 alone – ten a day. Girls aged 12 to 15 are most at risk but paedophiles have targeted children as young as five, according to records for 39 police forces in England and Wales, the NSPCC said. The NSPCC said that social media companies needed to make their platforms safer to avoid tragedy They said that Instagram was by far the most dangerous platform, featuring in almost a third of cases The records revealed that in seven out of ten grooming cases, the predator contacted their victim over Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat. Instagram was by far the most dangerous platform, used in almost a third of cases, after a jump in the number of paedophiles flocking to the Facebook-owned platform. Yesterday, NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said the figures offered ‘overwhelming evidence’ that the ‘Wild West Web’ must be tamed. He said: ‘These figures are overwhelming evidence that keeping children safe cannot be left to social networks. ‘We cannot wait for the next tragedy before tech companies are made to act.’ Taking aim at Instagram, he added: ‘It is vital the platform designs basic protection more carefully into the service.’ Online grooming was only made illegal in April 2017, when the crime of sexual communication with a child came into force. Facebook said: ‘Keeping young people safe is our top priority and child exploitation of any kind is not allowed.’ Snapchat did not respond to a request for comment. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility