YouTube failed to remove live-streamed videos showing sexual exploitation after they were flagged up

Paedophiles are taking advantage of the boom in live streaming on YouTube to convince children to take off their clothes or adopt sexualised poses.

The Times has discovered more than 100 grooming cases in which young people who broadcast online are manipulated into inappropriate behaviour by strangers. Children are promised thousands of extra subscribers to their channels if they comply.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, failed to remove half the live-streamed videos showing the sexual exploitation of children after they were flagged up anonymously by our reporter. Only after its PR department was approached did it begin to remove the rest.

The findings prompted experts to warn parents against using the internet as a babysitter. Previous Times investigations found that paedophiles were using YouTube