The National Crime Agency estimates there to be between 550,000 and 850,000 people in the UK who pose varying forms of sexual risk to children.
The Queen used her speech at the state opening of Parliament to reaffirm the Government's commitment to develop legislation to make the internet safer for children and "vulnerable" users.
Global cybersecurity company Heimdal has joined forces with the Internet Watch Foundation to tackle child sexual abuse imagery online and make the internet a safer space for users.
‘Vital’ child protection work sees top honour for IWF’s Susie Hargreaves - The NSPCC has made Ms Hargreaves an honorary member of the NSPCC council
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has revealed it believes there are a minimum 300,000 individuals in the UK posing a sexual threat to children, either through physical “contact” abuse or online.
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.
This report conducted in collaboration with the Policing Institute for the Eastern Region (PIER) highlights the gravity of self-generated child sexual abuse material.