Moves to strengthen online protections for children in the EU are welcome, particularly the emphasis on technology companies, rather than parents or children, bearing responsibility for making platforms safe. It is a position that the @iwf.org.uk has long held. www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...

Von der Leyen convinced by case for age restrictions on social media

The European Commission President said proposals will be put to member states after the summer. #EuropeNews

euronews.com

The so-called social media ban is a revolutionary step, but is a revolutionary moment for child safety? Our CEO Kerry Smith explains how safety by design & stronger action on the Online Safety Act would make a bigger difference. www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/b...

Why A Big Tech Revolution & Bolder Action On OSA Are Key

The so-called social media ban is a revolutionary step, but is this a revolutionary moment for child safety?

iwf.org.uk

(1/3) As the Crime and Policing Act receives Royal Assent, we're pleased to see the inclusion of new laws to tackle AI generated child sexual abuse material.

Crime and Policing Act 2026

Information relating to the Crime and Policing Bill 2025, which received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026.

gov.uk

At the IWF, we see the reality of the online world every single day. Our 2025 Data & Insights Report reflects that work. Join us at our virtual launch to talk through the data and how we can all work together to make a difference. Register your place here: www.iwf.org.uk/iwf-2025-onl...

A coordinated response to these issues is essential. This includes implementing a ban on nudify apps and ensuring that internet infrastructure takes action to remove and block access to non-consensual intimate imagery. Read more in our Annual Data & Insights report: www.iwf.org.uk/annual-data-...

New data shows the EU hosts more child sexual abuse webpages than anywhere else globally. The stark finding comes only a few weeks after EU policymakers failed to extend the temporary law allowing tech companies to detect for imagery of child sexual abuse. Read more: www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/n...

EU Hosts 63% of Global Child Sexual Abuse Webpages

IWF warns EU children are being failed as 63% of global child sexual abuse webpages are hosted in the bloc. Urgent law needed.

iwf.org.uk

Criminals are "exploiting systemic failures" online and profiting from the sale of child sexual abuse images. @iwf.org.uk CEO Kerry Smith urges #E2EE services to adopt the trusted safety tools that prevent criminals using their platforms as safe havens. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Criminal gangs profiting as child sexual abuse websites double, experts say

Analyst who worked on Internet Watch Foundation report says content exists ‘across all social media platforms’ and is ‘very easy’ to find

theguardian.com

Criminal websites selling child sexual abuse imagery online have doubled in a year. Some of them are hidden behind apparently innocent website fronts, others are just sitting in the open, just a few clicks away from your social media feeds. Read more at news.sky.com/story/predat...

Sexual predators' new business model is spreading - and humans are needed to catch them

Child sexual abuse is on the rise online and the predators behind it have a new business model that's hiding in plain sight.

news.sky.com

“Thanks to political gamesmanship, the EU has opened the door for predators to target children without fear.” Our CEO Kerry Smith, on what happens from this Friday, when tech companies lose the legal right to detect child sexual abuse material in the EU. Read more at www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/n...

“Advances in technology should never come at the expense of a child’s safety and wellbeing,” said @iwf.org.uk CEO Kerry Smith, who called for an EU-wide ban on both AI-generated child sexual abuse content and the tools used to create it. www.euronews.com/next/2026/03...

AI fuels surge in child abuse content, new report finds

AI-generated content is more explicit, extreme and complex than other types of child pornography that have been seen in the past, says the Internet Watch Foundation.

euronews.com

Analysts at the @iwf.org.uk have identified more AI-generated images and videos of realistic child sexual abuse than ever before. This fuels offender interest in children, normalises extreme violence, and increases the risk of contact crimes. www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/net...

KI-Videos von Kindesmissbrauch nehmen laut Internet Watch Foundation zu

Im Internet finden sich laut einer Erhebung zunehmend KI-generierte Missbrauchsdarstellungen. Der Fortschritt der Technik erleichtert es Pädokriminellen, sogenannte Kinderpornografie zu erstellen.

spiegel.de

Governments, tech companies and institutions must recognise the harm of AI child sexual abuse material. We’re calling for an AI Bill that includes key measures to ensure safety-by-design becomes a non-negotiable. Read the latest blog from our Comms Director Emma. www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/b...

AI-generated child sexual abuse: why safety by design must be the next step

We’re calling for an AI Bill that includes key measures to ensure safety-by-design becomes a non-negotiable standard in AI development.

iwf.org.uk

🚨 URGENT: The clock is ticking on child safety in the EU. On 3 April, the systems that protect children from online sexual abuse are set to become illegal across the EU. As our CTO Dan explains, the consequences of this legislative deadlock will be catastrophic. www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/b...

EU Risks Child Safety as Detection Laws Expire on 3 April

EU child protection systems may become illegal on 3 April unless MEPs act to extend vital detection laws.

iwf.org.uk

A girl who appeared in hundreds of child sexual abuse images and videos has been tracked down after years of searching, by one of our world-class analysts. "It was wonderful to hear she is now being given help," said Mabel, the analyst who identified the girl. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Child abuse victim found after researcher spotted school badge

An analyst tells the BBC how she tracked down a victim of child sexual abuse after years of searching.

bbc.co.uk

EU’s failure to extend the temporary derogation under ePrivacy puts fundamental safeguards against the spread of abuse imagery in jeopardy. Negotiators @europarl.europa.eu must return to the table. Children cannot afford the price of the failure to protect them. www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/s...

“Offenders will exploit feelings of shame & guilt to keep children from speaking out," tells BBC Crimewatch our Head of Hotline Ngaire Alexander. “Best way to keep children safe online: building trusted relationships, having clear lines of communication.” 📺from 20:10 www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

“These disturbing findings shine a light on a problem which we must all, as a society, urgently confront. The internet has opened a door into every home in the world," says our CEO Kerry Smith. www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/p...

Police arrest record number of paedophiles as 81k seek help in London

Forces say society’s misconceptions around offenders contributes to failure of some 1,200 safeguarded children each month

standard.co.uk

Don't be angry if your child has shared nudes online, it's vital they know they can come to you to help them take control of the situation. 🎧 The award-winning Teenagers Untangled podcast talks to @iwf.org.uk about the threat of AI, online safety and risk ⬇️ www.teenagersuntangled.com/teenagers-ai...

Teenagers, AI, Nudes and Online Blackmail: What You Need to Know

Ask Rachel anything There's been a dramatic increase in reports of grooming, sextortion and AI generated child sexual abuse material in recent years, and most paren…

teenagersuntangled.com

Informed article by @rostaylor.bsky.social highlights that under-18s threatened with sexual extortion can send nude images and videos to ReportRemove, run by @iwf.org.uk and @nspcc.bsky.social's Childline, to stop them from being uploaded. www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/...

Ros Taylor@rostaylor.bsky.social · 5mo ago

For @thenewworldmag.bsky.social, I wrote about the perfect crime: sextortion. Victims just want it to go away. Perps are all but untraceable. And older generations can be dismissive: ‘Why were you sharing nude pics of yourself anyway?’ www.thenewworld.co.uk/ros-taylor-s...

Young people are being pressured to share intimate images without understanding the lasting impact. Actor Natalie Dormer supports our latest campaign, urging adults to start crucial conversations with their children. Find support at thinkbeforeyoushare.org youtube.com/shorts/Uzh5L...

Actor Natalie Dormer supports the IWF’s Think Before You Share campaign

YouTube video by Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)

youtube.com

📣Calling lawyers and Trust & Safety professionals working in online safety and children’s privacy. Together with Pinsent Masons, we are hosting a half-day online conference. 📅 3 March | ⏱️3 - 6:30pm GMT 👉 Register now: www.pinsentmasons.com/events-train...

On Thursday 26 February, our Head of Policy Hannah Swirsky will take part in a panel on AI and risks of Online Child Sexual exploitation facilitated by @terredeshommes.bsky.social - who will share key findings from their latest research project. 🕗 Time: 8am GMT (9am CET) Register at bit.ly/469JGVv

Are you an innovative and talented professional with at least three years of fundraising experience? We're looking for a Partnerships Officer to join our team and help us to generate new creative partnerships and opportunities. Find out more about the role & apply- www.iwf.org.uk/about-us/who...

"New tech can be a dangerous frontier," says our Head of Policy Hannah Swirsky. "Government must provide clear guidelines for companies to build platforms which are safe by design where children are a central consideration not an afterthought." www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

New rules on social media could target ‘doomscrolling’ and ban for under-16s, Starmer says – UK politics live

Prime minister says outcomes of consultation on social media ban should be implemented quickly as technology minister says Australia-style ban is not inevitable

theguardian.com

Our CEO Kerry Smith, said in response to today’s Government announcement: “At a time where children are facing unprecedented new harms and challenges online, we are pleased to see the commitment to bringing in on-device protections.” www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/n...

"The impact of child sexual abuse material cannot be understated," said Megan, a Survivor Advocate for child protection charity, the Marie Collins Foundation. Your support removes harmful content and restores hope to survivors. 🎁 Give the gift of hope this Christmas. www.iwf.org.uk/donate

AI companies must put child safety before profit. That means embedding safety-by-design principles and conducting rigorous testing. You can hear Lib Dem Science, Innovation & Tech Spokesperson Victoria Collins MP make the case in Parliament for an AI Bill that puts safety-by-design at its core.

Images shared in confidence by young people are routinely being ‘leaked’. Some teens (mostly boys) are even engaging in ‘collecting’ behaviours of nude imagery. We must educate and protect our children in the digital world. Find out more at thinkbeforeyoushare.org/parents-and-...

EU countries have finally agreed on a position on the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation, three years after it was first proposed. We urge negotiators to swiftly extend the temporary derogation and allow tech companies to keep detecting #CSAM voluntarily. www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/s...

SAG-AFTRA stands in solidarity with the Condé United and NewsGuild of New York union members who were retaliated against for questioning the closure of Teen Vogue.