The latest data from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) reveals a record rise in UK children reporting online sexual extortion, with the Report Remove service now handling an average of nine cases a week. In 2025, the helpline saw a 66% increase in self-reports from under‑18s, confirming 1,175 cases involving harmful imagery — more than a third linked to sexually coerced extortion. Criminals are increasingly exploiting young people’s nude imagery to demand money, further content, or compliance, often using aggressive threats and personal information to create fear and control. Report Remove, run by the IWF in partnership with Childline, allows young people to block or remove nude images of themselves from the internet — even before they are shared. The majority of sextortion cases involved boys aged 14–17, highlighting a growing trend in targeted online abuse. Childline counsellors continue to support children facing blackmail, fear, and isolation. The service remains free, confidential, and available to any young person worried about their imagery being shared online.
UK internet service provider Glide is aligning with the Internet Watch Foundation to help eliminate child sexual abuse material online
The IWF's role regarding government legislation on the possession of non-photographic visual depictions of the sexual abuse of children.
IWF has been named Not for Profit of the Year at the British Data Awards 2022.
Information from IWF on how we handle the privacy of stakeholder data and information.
It is IWF policy to make every effort to protect our information assets from threats – whether they be internal or external, deliberate or accidental.
New data released by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) shows almost 20,000 webpages of child sexual abuse imagery in the first half of 2022 included ‘self-generated’ content of 7- to 10-year-old children.
The Age Appropriate Design Code sets out 15 standards that online services need to follow.
Reports involving sexual extortion are on the rise as criminals become more ‘adept’ at targeting younger children.