Child sexual exploitation and abuse online surges amid rapid tech change; new tool for preventing abuse unveiled for path forward

(Press-News.org) Societal and behavioral shifts including growing recognition of children displaying harmful sexual behaviors and links to extremism, violence and financial scams are driving child sexual exploitation and abuse online according to a new report. A new Prevention Framework -- the WeProtect Global Alliance’s Global Threat Assessment 2025 --launched by WeProtect Global Alliance is a comprehensive synthesis of globally available data, expert analysis, youth and survivor perspectives and case studies from organizations tackling technology-facilitated sexual abuse.  The assessment provides a practical tool for technology companies, governments, civil society organizations and intergovernmental organizations to tackle the crisis.

 

The research was conducted by the CPC Learning Network at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, with contributions from an Expert Steering Committee and global leaders from WeProtect Global Alliance’s membership, consisting of 350+ organizations around the world.

 

Up to now, global safeguards to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse online have been failing to keep up with the rapidly evolving crisis. The findings show that despite growing international momentum and legislation to tackle the issue and improved detection and removal of harmful content, both technological and societal shifts have heightened the risks to children online since 2023.

 

The rapid advancement and adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has contributed to an explosion in the creation and distribution of child sexual abuse material with NCMEC seeing a 1,325% increase in reports between 2023 and 2024. Perpetrators are also adapting to digital spaces such as end-to-end encryption platforms to groom children and evade detection. The report flags additional changes to the digital landscape that have significant potential to impact on children’s safety in the coming years, including quantum computing, decentralization and extended reality.  

 

The report highlights the increasingly blurred distinction between children’s online and offline experiences as digital technologies are now an embedded and seamless part of most aspects of everyday life for many, permeating relationships, education, leisure and beyond. Youth access to the internet outpaces the general population by 13% and the majority of children in a study spanning 55 countries started using a digital device before the age of 10. The research lays bare the need to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse in all spaces, whether digital or in-person, but reveals that 60% of the top global content-sharing platforms do not publish any information on how they address child sexual exploitation.

 

“The Global Threat Assessment 2025 shows that the child sexual exploitation and abuse online crisis continues to evolve along with rapid technological change, societal shifts and concerning behavioral trends and persists as an urgent threat to children’s safety around the world. Central to this year’s report, however, is the message that we already have the solutions; preventative approaches are key to solving this crisis. We need every sector and every country to play their part,” said Iain Drennan, Executive Director of WeProtect Global Alliance.

 

The report finds that the criminal activity of financial sexual extortion has grown to be a major threat, with NCMEC receiving approximately 100 reports of financial sexual extortion every day in 2024. 

 

The research also identifies a complex web of harms that increasingly overlap and intersect with the issue of child sexual exploitation and abuse. These include the issues of self-harm, terrorist and violent extremist content and a growing concern around children who display harmful sexual behaviors and peer-to-peer abuse.

 

“The 2025 Global Threat Assessment provides a powerful action-oriented framework for tackling the complex global threat of technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse,” said Cassie Landers, EdD, MPH, assistant professor of Population and Family Health at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and director of the CPC Learning Network.

 

‘Fast-emerging technology-driven exposures threaten and thwart children’s growth development across all domains. These threats appear faster than our capacity to shape, define and implement safeguards. But as noted in the report, there is an emerging global movement. Children’s voices are no longer silent. Rather, they have been uplifted to a vital role helping us to better understand risk factors, comprehend behavioral and physical impact, and identify realistic sustainable solutions. There is no time to wait. Public Health epidemiologists and social scientists have a critical role in filling existing data gaps and analyzing what works and why.”

 

At the heart of the report is a global call to action for a decisive shift from reactive approaches which tackle the problem after abuse has taken place, towards proactive prevention, in line with public-health approaches that have been successful in reducing harms from smoking and car accidents. 

 

The Global Threat Assessment 2025 also highlights the economic cost of failing to invest in prevention-based approaches and the urgent need to close the global funding gap. It cites that violence against children can cost countries up to 11% of GDP, and that $5 billion is spent annually on incarcerating adults convicted of sex crimes against children in the United States which drastically outweighs spending on prevention.

 

The Prevention Framework is organized around four connected action areas which aim to prioritize safety by design, strengthen regulations, boost services for children, survivors and potential offenders and raise awareness and education in communities:

 

• Child participation and leadership

• Community education and support

• Digital safety

• Law, policy, and justice

 

According to the organization members we now know and have enough clear evidence of what works to prevent child sexual exploitation and abuse online. The Global Threat Assessment 2025 provides many case studies and examples of phenomenal work and interventions from our members all over the world that have been successful in protecting children and young people from this heinous form of abuse. Many of these are already centered around prevention. 

 

“The real challenge now is ensuring that every relevant actor around the world takes responsibility and accountability for implementing these solutions. Our new Prevention Framework provides a very accessible and practical tool to enable all of the relevant stakeholders to do that. We will only be successful in protecting children in the digital world if every sector commits to these preventative approaches,” said Drennan.

 

Key data points:

There was a 1,325% rise in reports linked to AI-generated child sexual abuse material to NCMEC between 2023 and 2024. (1) NCMEC received approximately 100 reports of financial sexual extortion every day in 2024, disproportionately affecting boys (1) Every day the number of children around the world at risk of sexual exploitation and abuse online rises. Youth access to the internet outpaces the general population by 13% and the majority of children in a study spanning 55 countries started using a digital device before the age of 10. (3) To access the full Global Threat Assessment 2025 and the Prevention Framework, visit: https://www.weprotect.org/global-threat-assessment-25/

About WeProtect Global Alliance

WeProtect Global Alliance is a global movement bringing more than 350 government, private sector and civil society organisations working together to transform the global response to child sexual exploitation and abuse online. The Alliance is the largest and most diverse global movement dedicated to ending child sexual exploitation and abuse online. It supports and generates political commitment and practical approaches to make the digital world safe and positive for children, preventing sexual abuse and long-term harm. For more information visit https://www.weprotect.org/.

 

About the CPC Learning Network, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

The Care and Protection of Children (CPC) Learning Network, housed at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, advances child health and well-being through research, policy, and practice. With partners in over 20 countries, the CPC generates rigorous, locally grounded evidence and tools to strengthen child protection systems and promote the well-being of children, youth, and families globally. For more information visit https://www.cpcln.org/ 

 

About the Global Threat Assessment 

The Global Threat Assessment is a biennial report on the global scale and nature of child sexual exploitation and abuse online. The Global Threat Assessment 2025 was researched and written by a team from the CPC Learning Network, Columbia University, with contributions and insights from an Expert Steering Committee and insights from dozens of experts from WeProtect Global Alliance’s 350+ member organisations, and consultations with youth and survivor leaders. Full details and acknowledgements can be found on p.74-76 of the report.

About Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Founded in 1922, the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health pursues an agenda of research, education, and service to address the critical and complex public health issues affecting New Yorkers, the nation and the world. The Columbia Mailman School is the fourth largest recipient of NIH grants among schools of public health. Its nearly 300 multi-disciplinary faculty members work in more than 100 countries around the world, addressing such issues as preventing infectious and chronic diseases, environmental health, maternal and child health, health policy, climate change and health, and public health preparedness. It is a leader in public health education with more than 1,300 graduate students from 55 nations pursuing a variety of master’s and doctoral degree programs. The Columbia Mailman School is also home to numerous world-renowned research centers, including ICAP and the Center for Infection and Immunity. For more information, please visit www.mailman.columbia.edu.

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