Parents are putting their children at risk of sexual abuse by failing to carry out basic checks on their mobile phones, a report has warned.
The study into child sexual exploitation found a lack of understanding among families that pedophiles often try to contact children through the mobile devices.
Smartphones are now a "key tool" used by sex offenders targeting children, according to Pace (Parents Against Child Exploitation), which commissioned the study along with Virtual College's Safeguarding Children e-academy.
The report, Are Parents In The Picture?, found more than half (56 per cent) of parents thought it was "most intrusive" to check text messages sent and received by children aged nine to 14.
This is despite agreement from nine out of 10 safeguarding professionals that mobile phones were a key tool for perpetrators of child sexual exploitation, Pace said.
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Seven out of 10 professionals believed a lack of knowledge and engagement among parents was the most significant barrier in the fight against child sexual exploitation, the report found.
The study was based on two YouGov surveys of 945 professional staff, including more than 200 police officers, 226 social workers and 510 teachers, and 750 parents with at least one child aged nine to 17.
It follows a crackdown announced by Microsoft and Google on internet searches for horrific photographs and videos, which British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed as "real progress against the absolute evil of child abuse".
Half (51 per cent) of professionals believed parents do not have the right information needed to keep their children safe from sexual exploitation, while 53 per cent thought families did not understand what child sexual exploitation entails.
