The European Commission has established the Network for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse; an official expert group aimed at combating child sexual abuse and exploitation both online and offline.
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Latest News
- NC family sues Roblox for child sexual exploitation incident [August 21, 2025]
A North Carolina family has filed a civil lawsuit against Roblox Corporation, alleging that the gaming platform facilitated the sexual exploitation of their child. - Celtic Boys Club and other abuse survivors honoured with Hampden memorial [August 19, 2025]
Article discusses a significant development at Hampden Park, Scotland’s national football stadium. A poignant painting has been unveiled to honor the survivors of child sexual abuse associated with the Celtic Boys Club. - Is Roblox Getting Worse? Long plagued by moderation issues, the platform recently released a series of updates aimed at improving the experience for kids. Experts worry they could have the opposite effect. [August 18, 2025]
The article highlights how Roblox’s core design—open-ended gameplay with default settings that allow users to chat freely—makes it difficult to moderate. This freedom, once seen as part of the appeal, now is a major vulnerability. - SBC’s abuse prevention office launches revamped helpline [August 18, 2025]
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has launched a revamped Abuse Response Helpline in partnership with the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention (ECAP). This initiative aims to provide confidential, Gospel-centered support to individuals affected by abuse within SBC-affiliated churches and ministries. - FBI and NSPCC alarmed at ‘shocking’ rise in online sextortion of children [August 9, 2025]
A recent joint investigation by the FBI, UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), and the NSPCC has revealed a significant surge in online sextortion cases targeting children. In the UK, tech companies reported over 9,600 grooming incidents in just six months of 2024, equating to approximately 400 cases per week. - The unintended consequences of the Online Safety Act [August 7, 2025]
This article examines the unforeseen negative impacts of the UK’s Online Safety Act, particularly concerning privacy, data security, and the viability of smaller online platforms. - Network for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse [August 5, 2025]
The European Commission has established the Network for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, an official expert group aimed at combating child sexual abuse and exploitation both online and offline. - AI Deepfake Explicit Images of Students: What Can School Leaders Do? [July 24, 2025] This article addresses the emerging threat of AI-generated explicit images involving students and provides guidance for school leaders on prevention and response strategies.
- ROOST Announces “Coop” and “Osprey”: Free, Open-Source Trust and Safety Infrastructure for the AI Era [July 21, 2025]
ROOST—a nonprofit focused on building open-source safety tools for the AI era—has unveiled two new tools, Coop and Osprey, designed to empower platforms of all sizes with robust trust and safety capabilities without the need for expensive proprietary software or complex internal systems - Worried About Who Your Teen Interacts With on TikTok? You Can Now Block Them [July 30, 2025]
Parents who use Family Pairing can now block specific accounts on behalf of their teens, and receive alerts whenever their teen posts new content via TikTok. These tools aim to give parents stronger oversight of their child’s online interactions - Over 420,000 Brits want to repeal the UK Online Safety Act – here’s how to have your say [July 30, 2025]
A petition calling for repeal of the UK Online Safety Act quickly surpassed 340,000 signatures in just a few days after enforcement of new age‑verification rules began - KID CONTROL Phone plans will limit internet for teens from next month in new crackdown [July 29, 2025]
From next month, EE will offer a new phone plan designed specifically for users under 18. These plans feature age-based web content filtering, scam call protection, and spending caps and data limits, aimed at helping parents manage usage - Making the Economic Case for Investing in Primary Prevention Approaches [July 18, 2025]
The post highlights a key barrier to sustained investment in violence prevention—the lack of robust economic evidence, especially for primary prevention strategies. In the absence of such data, prevention efforts may be wrongly perceived as optional rather than essential public health measures - Roblox launches new age verification system to unlock unfiltered chats [July 17, 2025]
Roblox is replacing the “Friends” system with “Connections.” Teens can now add others as “Trusted Connections” to communicate freely via chat and voice. To ensure safety, users must verify their age using a video selfie or government-issued ID. - What the UK’s Online Safety Act means for IT companies [July 17, 2025]
The UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) imposes a wide-ranging regulatory framework on user‑to‑user services, search engines, messaging apps, forums, platforms with user‑generated content, and even adult/pornographic site - How to teach online safety to kids without fear [July 17, 2025]
Offers practical strategies for parents to educate their children about online safety in an engaging and non-threatening manner. - ‘Act now’: National meeting to combat AI child abuse [July 14, 2025]
Australia hosted an urgent national roundtable at Parliament House in Canberra, organized by ICMEC Australia and other child protection bodies, responding to a massive rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM). - AI-generated child sexual abuse videos surging online, watchdog says [July 10, 2025]
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) verified 1,286 AI-generated child sexual abuse videos in the first half of 2025, compared to just two during the same period in 2024. - EU Parliament leads the way in tackling AI-generated child sexual abuse material [July 8, 2025]
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Children’s Rights hosted a high‑level technical briefing in Brussels. The meeting brought together MEPs, IWF’s CTO, and child-protection advocates to assess the growing threat of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (AI-CSAM). - The EU could be scanning your chats by October 2025 – here’s everything we know [July 7, 2025]
As of July 1, 2025, Denmark assumed the EU Council Presidency and reintroduced the controversial chat‑scanning bill on its first day in office. The proposal could potentially be adopted as early as October 14, 2025 - Warning that predators will use digital ID to groom children [June 29 2025]
Campaigners warn that the UK’s new digital ID system may enable male predators to present themselves as women—validated through government-approved credentials—and use these identities to groom children online. They’ve identified 45 real-life cases of men impersonating women or teenage girls to target minors - Online child sexual abuse is the next grooming crisis, warn ministers [Jun 28 2025]
The UK is facing a looming online grooming crisis, warn experts and government ministers, as digital sexual abuse of children surges. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) reports an “astonishing” number of cases where children are groomed online, coerced into producing explicit material. - Scanning technology is coming to detect child porn. Here’s what it means [June 24, 2025]
Discusses the development and implications of new scanning technology designed to assist law enforcement in identifying child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on seized digital devices. - Accelerating Child Exploitation Investigations: Cellebrite Integrates Data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) [June 24, 2025]
Cellebrite has integrated the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline’s hash-value list into its leading digital forensics platform, Cellebrite Inspector. This hash list contains fingerprints of known child sexual abuse material (CSAM). - Is Your Child Safe Online? Protecting Kids in a Digital World [June 24, 2025]
June is designated as Internet Safety Month—a prompt to reinforce online safety for children. In 2024, reports of online enticement to NCMEC’s CyberTipline surged by 192%. The most crucial prevention step is open communication—regularly talk with your kids about staying safe online. - What Schools Should Know About New State and Federal Laws on Deepfakes [June 23, 2025]
Makes the creation or distribution of deceptive AI-generated audio/visual media illegal in New Jersey. It imposes both civil and criminal penalties when someone uses technology-generated media to realistically depict another’s speech or conduct without consent.
Archived News
- A Guide to Internet Safety for Kids in 2025 [Jun 19, 2025]
SafeWise’s “A Guide to Internet Safety for Kids in 2025” provides comprehensive strategies to protect children in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape. - IWF joins with partners to transform the global response for victims and survivors of online child sexual abuse [June 11, 2025]
On 11 June 2025, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) unveiled a new collaborative initiative called the Artemis Survivor Hub (ASH)—a pioneering, survivor-centered platform to combat online child sexual abuse material (CSAM). - Community-Based Participatory Research: Involving Young People with Lived Experiences of Problematic Sexual Behaviors [Jun 4, 2025]
Explore how young people (ages 14–21) with lived experiences of problematic sexual behaviors (PSB) can contribute to community-based participatory research (CBPR) as part of advisory boards and interviews - New Federal AI Deepfake Law Takes Effect: 4 Steps Schools Must Take Under the “Take It Down” Act [June 3, 2025]
Discusses the implementation of the federal “Take It Down” Act, which took effect immediately upon being signed into law on May 19, 2025. This legislation criminalizes the non-consensual publication of sexually explicit images, including AI-generated deepfakes, and mandates that online platforms remove such content upon request. - New Federal AI Deepfake Law Takes Effect: 4 Steps Schools Must Take Under the “Take It Down” Act [June 03, 2025]
Schools must revise codes of conduct to explicitly ban the creation and distribution of non‑consensual intimate images—whether real or AI-generated—by students or staff. This includes defining behaviors as misconduct and specifying disciplinary actions - New child safety initiatives and other digital technology stories to read [June 3, 2025]
This article summarizes new updates in child safety and digital technology including Australia and Norway plan to ban social media for under-16s, Roblox restricting under-13s from voice/text chat hangouts, and Apple allowing kids in Australia to report nude images via iMessage. - Dare to see, dare to hear, but above all, dare to do something- new study reveals critical gaps in Sweden’s systems for preventing child sexual abuse and exploitation [June 2, 2025]
A groundbreaking survey of 850 Swedish-speaking victims and survivors of childhood sexual violence has uncovered serious deficiencies in Sweden’s systems aimed at preventing and responding to abuse - Ending childhood sexual violence: #BeBrave G7 Scorecard. Urgent government action required to tackle growing crisis of childhood sexual violence [June, 2025]
The report evaluates how G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, US) are performing on key measures to prevent and respond to childhood sexual violence, both offline and online. G7 nations largely fall short—especially in financial commitment and comprehensive policy frameworks - A new Texas law mandates age checks on phones. It may be just the start.
[May 29, 2025]
Texas has enacted a law requiring Apple and Google to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent before minors can download or purchase apps from their stores. Set to take effect in 2026, this legislation positions Texas as a significant player in shaping national tech policy, akin to California’s influence. - New Report on AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material [May 29, 2025]
A report on how educators, platform staff, law enforcement officers, U.S. legislators, and victims are thinking about and responding to AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM). - Microlearning And Mental Health: Building Resilience One Lesson At A Time [May 27, 2025]
Explores how microlearning—short, focused educational modules—can support mental health and build resilience in the workplace. It emphasizes that microlearning offers a practical, scalable approach to mental wellness, fitting seamlessly into daily routines without adding stress - What to Know About the Kids Online Safety Act and Where It Currently Stands [May 25, 2025]
This article discusses the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) which is a bipartisan bill reintroduced in May 2025, aiming to enhance online protections for minors. It mandates that tech companies exercise a “duty of care” to prevent exposure to harmful content. - Durbin, Hawley Reintroduce Bill Combatting Online Child Sexual Abuse Material [May 22, 2025]
Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) have reintroduced the bipartisan STOP CSAM Act to combat the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. This legislation aims to hold tech companies accountable by allowing victims to sue platforms that knowingly promote, host, or distribute such content. - Top Sexual Assault Hotline Bans Referrals To Resources For Marginalized Groups [May 15, 2025]
RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline—has recently implemented a new policy where staff and volunteers who answer phone calls, online chats and texts have been told not to make referrals to organizations that help immigrants and LGBTQ+ people - Justice Department Announces Results of Operation Restore Justice: 205 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in FBI-led Nationwide Crackdown, Including 5 in the Middle District of Florida [May 7, 2025]
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a nationwide initiative led by the FBI to combat child sexual exploitation. Over five days, the operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrest of 205 individuals involved in child sexual abuse. - Nearly Half of Sexual Abuse First Happens at Age 15 or Younger, a Global Study Reveals [May 7, 2025]
This global study reveals that nearly half of all sexual abuse cases begin before the age of 15. Analyzing data from 204 countries between 1990 and 2023, the research found that approximately 19% of women and 14% of men aged 20 and older experienced sexual violence during childhood. - When the Help You Seek is for Yourself [May 1, 2025]
Host Teresa Huizar speaks with Dr. Melissa Bright, founder and executive director of the Center for Violence Prevention Research. They discuss the What’s OK Helpline, a pioneering initiative designed to assist youth with problematic sexual behaviors by providing a confidential space for them to seek help. - When the Help You Seek is for Yourself [May 1, 2025]
Host Teresa Huizar speaks with Dr. Melissa Bright, founder and executive director of the Center for Violence Prevention Research. They discuss the What’s OK Helpline, a pioneering initiative designed to assist youth with problematic sexual behaviors by providing a confidential space for them to seek help. - Children’s Online Privacy in 2025: The Amended COPPA Rule [May, 2025]
This marks the first major update since 2013, modernizing COPPA to address new tech such as biometric data, mobile apps, and data security threats. Online contact information now encompasses mobile numbers used for text-based parental consent. - Children’s Online Privacy in 2025: The Amended COPPA Rule [May, 2025]
This marks the first major update since 2013, modernizing COPPA to address new tech such as biometric data, mobile apps, and data security threats. Online contact information now encompasses mobile numbers used for text-based parental consent. - Testing approaches to child sexual abuse prevention through a new board game [April 15, 2025]
A collaborative research initiative between the University of Washington and Universidad San Francisco de Quito is evaluating an innovative approach to child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention: a family board game. - Section 230: How a Law Meant to Protect Children Became Their Biggest Threat [April 11, 2025]
This article argues that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, originally intended to safeguard children online, has inadvertently become a significant obstacle to their protection. - LA County Reaches $4 Billion Tentative Settlement in Thousands of Sexual Abuse Cases [April 4, 2025]
This article outlines Los Angeles County’s systemic reforms over the past 25 years aimed at protecting minors in its care, particularly within the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and the Probation Department.
2023-2024 Archived News
- Children are Especially Vulnerable to a New Means of Abuse: Smart Technology [March 31, 2025]
This article highlights the increasing risks children face due to the misuse of smart technologies in domestic settings. While much attention has been given to how smart devices can be exploited in domestic abuse against adults, the specific vulnerabilities of children remain under-examined. - Risks and Opportunities of AI for Children: A Common Commitment for Safeguarding Children [March 20-22, 2025]
Organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences alongside the World Childhood Foundation and Pontifical Gregorian University, the workshop convened global stakeholders to assess how AI technologies affect children’s dignity, well-being, and development - Evidence-based recommendations for partners and friends of adult survivors of child sexual abuse [March, 2025]
This study addresses the crucial role that partners and friends play when adult survivors disclose experiences of child sexual abuse (CSA). Recognizing that such disclosures are often met with negative reactions due to societal stigma. - More than 100 child sexual abuse image crimes being recorded by police every day [Feb 18th, 2025]
According to a report by the NSPCC, police in England and Wales recorded 38,685 child sexual abuse image offences in the past year, averaging over 100 incidents daily.
- Roblox, Discord, OpenAI, and Google found new child safety group [Feb 10, 2025]
In February 2025, Google, OpenAI, Roblox, and Discord launched a nonprofit initiative called ROOST (Robust Open Online Safety Tools) to enhance child safety online. ROOST aims to provide free, open-source AI tools for detecting, reviewing, and reporting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). - Philanthropic Action Guide Combatting Online Harms and Image-Based Sexual Abuse [January, 2025]
This document serves as a philanthropic action guide aimed at addressing the growing global crisis of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, particularly focusing on image-based sexual abuse (IBSA). - Despite strong bipartisan support, bill to protect kids online fails to advance in Congress [Dec. 30, 2024]
The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bipartisan bill aimed at enhancing protections for minors on social media platforms, failed to pass in the U.S. House of Representatives before the conclusion of the 118th Congress. - Should I Be Using AI for This [October 9, 2024]
The article offers guidance for nonprofit leaders considering the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. - What has changed in the AI CSAM landscape? [July, 2024]
This report is an update on AI-generated Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), which reveals a significant escalation in both the volume and realism of such content, posing unprecedented challenges to online safety. - Victims of Technology-Assisted Child Sexual Abuse: A Scoping Review [April, 2024]
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of how victims of technology-assisted child sexual abuse (TA-CSA) are represented in research. - If I Didn’t Laugh, I’d Cry: Humor as a Coping Strategy for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse [October 28, 2023]
Explores how humor functions as a coping mechanism among adult women who experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA). - The Role of Technology in the Perpetration of Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Importance of Considering Both In-Person and Online Interactions [July 29, 2023]
This study investigates how technology contributes to in-person, contact child sexual abuse (CSA). The study utilized self-report data from 332 adult CSA survivors who experienced abuse before the age of 18. - New EU-funded safety tech will help reduce viewing and demand for child sexual abuse images and videos [Feb 23, 2023]
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has announced the development of a new safety technology, named Salus, designed to reduce the viewing and demand for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. - America Has Been Going About Stopping Child Sex Abuse The Wrong Way [February 15, 2023]
This article highlights significant shortcomings in the U.S. approach to preventing child sexual abuse. Despite allocating approximately $5.4 billion annually to incarcerate offenders, the country invests only about $2 million in primary prevention research.