Three online sex crimes against children are reported in Kent every day.

The NSPCC revealed the shocking statistic as it issues a report on child safety online.

The charity’s 'How the Wild West Web should be won' report, released today, sets out how the upcoming Online Harms Bill must set the global standard in protecting children on the web.

With vital decisions on the legislation just days away, the government is being urged to make large tech firms responsible for harmful and illegal content.

The call comes as new analysis of the latest ONS data shows the number of online sex crimes against children recorded by Kent Police reached the equivalent of more than three a day between January and March this year, highlighting the sheer scale of web abuse.

In those three months, 304 reports were made in Kent over obscene publications and 48 reports were lodged of online grooming.

Across England and Wales that figure stood at 101 child sex crime reports each day, but the NSPCC expects that number to have risen during lockdown.

Ahead of a full consultation response to the White Paper, the organisation has released its six tests amid concerns Ministers are wavering in their ambitions for robust regulation.

The society believes regulation must:

• Create an expansive, principles-based duty of care
• Comprehensively tackle online sexual abuse
• Put legal but harmful content on an equal footing with illegal material
• Have robust transparency and investigatory powers
• Hold industry to account with criminal and financial sanctions
• Give civil society a legal voice for children with user advocacy arrangements

If this was done correctly, the NSPCC believes the British model could serve as inspiration for the rest of the world.

NSPCC CEO Peter Wanless said that “failing to pass any of the six tests will mean that rather than tech companies paying the cost of their inaction, future generations of children will pay with serious harm and sexual abuse that could have been stopped”.

The report comes after warnings that such online sex crimes could have become more prevalent during the coronavirus pandemic.

"High risk" live-streaming and video chat has become more popular, while more offenders will be working from home which the NSPCC believes "could result in a greater demand for sexual abuse images and increased opportunities for grooming."

Mr Wanless added: “Industry inaction is fuelling this staggering number of sex crimes against children and the fallout from coronavirus has heightened the risks of abuse now and in the future.

“Industry inaction is fuelling this staggering number of sex crimes against children..."

“The Prime Minister has the chance of a lifetime to change this by coming down on the side of children and families, with urgent regulation that is a bold and ambitious UK plan to truly change the landscape of online child protection.

“The Online Harms Bill must become a Government priority, with unwavering determination to take the opportunity to finally end the avoidable, serious harm children face online because of unaccountable tech firms.”

It is not only online sex crimes against children that are being targeted by the NSPCC. The new report also seeks to remove content that could lead to self-harm or suicide.

The six tests are backed by Ian Russell, who has campaigned for regulation since the death of his daughter, Molly, by suicide, after she was targeted with self-harm posts on social media.

Mr Russell, who is due to be made an honorary member of council for the NSPCC this week, said: “Today, I can’t help but wonder why it’s taking so long to introduce effective regulation to prevent the type of harmful social media posts we now know Molly saw, and liked, and saved in the months prior to her death.

“Tech self-regulation has failed and, as I know, it’s failed all too often at great personal cost. Now is the time to establish a regulator to protect those online by introducing proportionate legislation with effective financial and criminal sanctions.

“It is a necessary step forward in trying to reclaim the web for the good it can do and curtail the growing list of harms to be found online.”

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