The European Parliament is taking a decisive stand against the rise of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (AI-CSAM), co-hosting a high-level briefing with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to address this urgent threat. With a 380% increase in AI-CSAM reports in 2024, the Parliament is pushing for robust legal reforms through the proposed Child Sexual Abuse Directive. Key priorities include criminalising all forms of AI-generated CSAM, removing legal loopholes such as the “personal use” exemption, and enhancing cross-border enforcement. The IWF and the European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG) urge the Council of the EU to align with Parliament’s strong stance to protect children and support survivors. This article highlights the scale of the threat, the evolving technology behind synthetic abuse imagery, and the critical need for updated EU legislation.
New IWF data shows that three in every five child sexual abuse reports are hosted in an EU member state.
IWF paper sets out how end-to-end encrypted messaging can be protected from child sexual abuse without breaking encryption.
Europe remains the world’s largest hoster of child sexual abuse imagery with 62% of known images and videos being traced to a European Union country* in 2021.
IWF is a steering group member of the European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG) working to end child sexual abuse both on and offline.
Read the key findings from the 2025 evaluation of IWF International Reporting Portals, covering global reach, impact, challenges and next steps.
EvolveODM, the location based WiFi providers, have become the Internet Watch Foundation’s (IWF) latest Member in its mission to eradicate child sexual abuse imagery online.