PARENTS are being urged to talk to their children about online safety, following an increase in calls to a online sexual abuse helpline.

The NSPCC has said there were 3,716 Childline counselling sessions about the issue in 2015/16, with 85 involving children in Wales.

This represents a 24 percent rise on the 2,994 the previous year, with the number of contacts increasing by 250 percent over the past three years.

Abusive acts can include grooming, sexual exploitation, sexting, being made to perform sex acts on webcam, meeting in person, and viewing distressing sexually explicit content.

Some children contacted Childline because they felt trapped by their situation, because they felt guilty and ashamed, were being blackmailed, or were considering meeting in person.

The head of NSPCC Wales/Cymru, Des Mannion said: “The web can be a fantastic place for children and young people to socialise, explore their interests, and learn.

“But every parent buying an internet device in Wales should be aware that there are risks and think about installing parental controls.”