Published: Fri 16 Jan 2026
Nearly nine in ten adults across Germany, Italy and Poland think their governments should back proposed EU child sexual abuse legislation that seeks to protect children online and ensure that tech companies can detect for images and videos of child sexual abuse on their websites and platforms.
The survey results1 have been published as new data from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) show a spike in reports of confirmed child sexual abuse material in 2025.
The IWF – Europe’s largest hotline fighting to end the spread of child sexual abuse imagery – is now calling on policymakers from Germany, Italy and Poland in both the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, to help pass the long-delayed EU Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR).
The poll of more than 6,000 adults in Germany, Italy and Poland, shows that 88% of respondents2 want their respective governments to back the law designed to protect millions of European children from online sexual abuse.
Italian citizens showed the highest support, with 90% of respondents3 saying their government should back the CSAR, reflecting the strongest political mandate among the three countries.
Poland and Germany followed with 89% and 86%, respectively, an overwhelming majority in both countries.
The survey further showed that there is high concern about the spread of child sexual abuse material across the surveyed member states and strong support for measures that prevent its distribution.4
More than eight in 10 adults say they also support the CSAR that could see companies proactively detect and block images and videos of children being sexually abused online.5
First proposed in 2022, the CSAR has finally reached a critical negotiating stage, but for more than three years EU leaders failed to progress the proposed law. In that time, the child sexual abuse crisis has escalated dramatically.
Last year, the IWF recorded an alarming 312,030 reports confirmed to contain images and videos of child sexual abuse, this marks a 7% increase from the year before.
IWF analysts also identified 3,440 videos of AI-generated child sexual abuse in 2025 – a more than 260-fold increase from the 13 videos seen in 2024.
The proposed CSAR is an essential step toward ensuring a harmonised and effective framework for the detection, reporting and removal of criminal images and videos of child sexual abuse across all EU member states.
EU countries have struggled to agree over certain aspects of the proposed legislation. As negotiations begin in earnest, the IWF is urging all member states to support measures that ensure tech companies stop the spread of child sexual abuse material on their platforms. At the very least, the Regulation must provide a permanent legal basis for the voluntary detection of child sexual material across the EU.
Internet Watch Foundation CEO Kerry Smith said: “For too long, children have waited for strong laws that will protect them from sexual exploitation and repeated victimisation online.
“The opportunity to help establish Europe as a global champion for children’s online safety is within the EU’s grasp and we urge policymakers from Germany, Italy and Poland, as well as other member states, to support an effective, comprehensive and ambitious Regulation.
“We cannot bow to pressure from those who would ignore children’s safety and privacy for their own gain. It is essential that platforms and websites implement the technology that we know works to make Europe a safe digital space.”
The IWF is also calling for the inclusion of a mandatory review clause within the Regulation to help strengthen the prevention of child sexual abuse online.
Kerry said: “The EU cannot be complacent. IWF reports of confirmed child sexual abuse imagery are on the rise and we need a mandatory review clause to allow lawmakers to assess whether mandatory detection requirements should be introduced in the future, using evidence collected during the voluntary phase of the framework.
“The Regulation must also require robust risk assessment and mitigation measures. These should require tech companies to block child sexual abuse material, while also ensuring transparency and independent oversight.”
Guillaume Landry, Executive Director at ECPAT International said: “Public sentiment remains unswayed by privacy debates that overshadow child protection needs.
“Citizens across Europe have repeatedly and consistently called for comprehensive legislation safeguarding children online through the use of detection technologies.
“Children themselves are demanding safer online experiences. Their call is urgent and non-negotiable. EU leaders must require online services to place children’s safety and well-being at the heart of platform design.”
More than 312,000 reports containing child sexual abuse, or links to that content, were confirmed by IWF analysts in 2025. Each page can contain hundreds, if not thousands, of indecent images of children. This is the most child sexual abuse content the IWF has ever discovered in its 30-year history and is a 7% increase on the 291,733 reports identified in 2024.
Click on the relevant link for our German, Italian and Polish releases.
1 The survey was run by polling company Savanta in November 2025 and included 6,004 adults in Germany, Italy and Poland online. Data was weighted to be representative of age, gender and region within each respective country.
2 88% of adults across Germany, Italy and Poland think their government should support the EU Child Sexual Abuse Regulation. Only 4% of respondents do not.
3 90% of Italian adults think their government should support the proposed EU Child Sexual Abuse Regulation that could require companies to detect and remove images and videos of children being sexually abused from their websites and platforms. 89% of Polish adults and 86% of German adults agree.
4 86% of adults across the surveyed member states say they are either very concerned (70%) or somewhat concerned (16%) about images and videos of children being sexually abused being shared through end-to-end encrypted messaging. This number is consistent across Germany (87%), Italy (85%) and Poland (87%).
5 85% of adults across Germany, Italy and Poland say they either strongly support (66%) or somewhat support (19%) the EU Child Sexual Abuse Regulation. This equates to 83% of respondents in Germany; 87% in Italy; and 86% in Poland.
IWF CEO Kerry Smith calls for complete EU ban of AI abuse content at high-level meeting of global experts in Rome.
