NEW data has laid bare the alarming figures that nearly 4,000 people in Cumbria sought advice or support about their own or a loved one’s online sexual behaviour towards children in the past 12 months. 

The Stop it Now! charity revealed that the number of people from Cumbria seeking support from its confidential helpline has increased by 305 per cent in the past twelve months.

According to the data, 3,927 people in Cumbria sought advice or support via its services in 2022.

Many men have cited heavy porn habits as a common pathway into viewing sexual images of children online.

With men being nine times more likely to view pornography than women – and therefore more at risk of accessing illegal content online - the charity is urging men nationwide to be careful of their pornography viewing habits.

The charity is also calling on anyone concerned about their own or a loved one’s online behaviour, to seek help now by contacting the helpline.  

Child sexual abuse prevention expert and Director of Stop It Now! UK & Ireland, Donald Findlater, said: “Our message to anyone on that path, or already offending, is that these pictures and videos cause huge harm to the children in them.

"And watching them has massive consequences for the viewer, including possible arrest, jail, job loss and family breakdown. But it isn’t too late to stop.

"The thousands of men who call us after being arrested tell us they wish they’d made a change and stopped sooner. Many felt they were in a cycle they couldn’t break and we helped them find a way out - to stop and to stay stopped.

“We hope this information will serve as a wakeup call and that anyone worried about their own, or someone else’s, behaviour will contact us for advice and support," he said. 

To contact Stop It Now! confidential helpline, dial 0808 1000 900