Tech Secretary sees ‘heartbreaking’ scale of online child sexual abuse on IWF hotline visit as ‘transformational’ online safety rules come into effect
Dutch MEP Jeroen Lenaers visits the IWF offices in Cambridge, UK, to hear directly from frontline experts about the harms of AI in the fight against online child sexual abuse.
New Internet Watch Foundation data reveals a sharp rise in commercial child sexual abuse websites, with criminal gangs monetising children’s exploitation through subscription models and digital payments. The charity warns of systemic failures across online platforms, financial services and encrypted technologies that allow abuse to flourish. As reports of sexual extortion surge, particularly targeting boys, the IWF calls for stronger regulation of payment systems, encryption safeguards and decisive government action to disrupt the online economy of child sexual exploitation.
IWF supports the Online Safety Act by helping adult sites detect, remove, and prevent child sexual abuse imagery online.
IWF wants to help young people stay safe online by making sure you know what to do if you accidentally see sexual images or videos of someone you think might be under 18.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has launched a deliberately provocative public campaign in Brussels calling on EU citizens and MEPs to back a robust Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR). Titled "The Petition No One Would Sign," the campaign presents a mock petition asking the public to support making it easier for child sexual abuse to spread online — a proposition no one would actually endorse — to highlight the real-world consequences of a weak or delayed CSAR. Launched physically across Brussels, including at Schuman Metro station, and digitally across Europe, the campaign coincides with EU negotiators resuming talks this autumn after four years of stalled progress. The IWF cites a 260-fold rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse videos in 2025 alone. CEO Kerry Smith argues the technology and proposals to protect children already exist — what's missing is political will. The campaign urges citizens to contact their MEPs before the CSAR's temporary legal basis lapses in 2028.
Crucial perspectives from a survivor and a senior analyst at the front line of the fight against child sexual abuse material anchored the EU launch of the Internet Watch Foundation’s 2025 Annual Data & Insights Report.