From 3 April, the EU will become the only region worldwide without legal certainty allowing technology companies to detect child sexual abuse material online, prompting urgent warnings from child protection experts and global tech organisations. A coalition of 246 civil society groups and major industry players has condemned lawmakers for failing to extend the temporary legal framework that permitted privacy‑preserving detection tools, leaving companies unsure whether safeguarding systems remain lawful. With the EU already hosting the highest concentration of known child sexual abuse material - 62% of confirmed webpages in 2024 - experts warn the situation will worsen, reducing detections, hampering investigations, and emboldening offenders. As the EU’s proposed permanent legislation remains deadlocked, industry leaders and protection advocates stress that immediate action is essential to prevent increased harm to children across Europe and beyond.
IWF backs government move requiring tech companies to urgently implement nudity detection and blocking on children’s devices.
The IWF and NCA have launched new guidance and a national campaign to help parents and carers protect children's images from AI manipulation, following a sharp rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse material. The advice covers image consent, safer photo sharing, talking to children about deepfakes, and how to report concerns to the police or CEOP.
A new report published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Social Media.
Campaigners are warning teenagers and their parents about online grooming and sexual exploitation as schools break up for the summer.
On 28 April 2025, the IWF hosted MPs, peers, and staffers in Parliament to discuss the urgent findings of our 2024 Annual Data & Insights Report.
IWF analysts uncover platform hosting chatbot “characters” designed to let users simulate sexual scenarios with child avatars.
The IWF’s latest AI report exposes rapidly escalating harms to children as the EU moves to scale back the tools that detect and remove child sexual abuse material online. The charity warns that the EU must act urgently to criminalise AI‑generated abuse and preserve essential detection systems before risks intensify further.
AI is becoming more powerful by the day, and the challenge of keeping children safe is growing with it.
At Labour Party Conference 2026, the IWF hosted a panel with Online Safety Minister Ian Murray MP, Jess Phillips MP, Catherine Reader of FlippGen and IWF Chief Executive Kerry Smith. The discussion covered record levels of child sexual abuse material, the Government’s proposed feature-based restrictions on social media for under-16s, the risk of harm being displaced into encrypted spaces, and the need for faster Ofcom enforcement. Panellists agreed that no single measure is enough, and that safety must be built into technology, including AI, from the start.