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Campaigners say cash-strapped local authorities are placing young people in budget accommodation, making them targets for grooming by criminal gangsVulnerable teenagers in care are being placed in hotels by cash-strapped councils, with experts warning they are being “served up” to criminal gangs.Children aged 16 to 17 are entering care in greater numbers than any other age group, often with complex needs, and experts say...

Child safety group says Meta ‘putting profits before protecting children’, as messaging app lowers age limit from 16Campaigners have reacted with anger to the social media company Meta lowering age restrictions for WhatsApp users to 13 in the UK and EU.The change to the messaging app, which reduces the age limit from 16 to 13, was announced in February and came into force in...

Other failures listed in damning official report include blaming children for ‘making poor choices’Metropolitan police officers tried to put off children from making complaints about alleged sexual abuse and privately blamed young people for crimes suffered, a damning official report has revealed.Most investigations into child exploitation were rated as inadequate by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). Of the 244 cases it examined, 43...