Dutch MEP Jeroen Lenaers visits the IWF offices in Cambridge, UK, to hear directly from frontline experts about the harms of AI in the fight against online child sexual abuse.
The report acknowledges the IWF plays a central role in this area, and said the Government needs to provide more clarity about how Ofcom will work with organisations like the IWF.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) supports an amendment to the Online Safety Bill which will demand the development of new technologies to better detect child sexual abuse material online.
The Government must now act on the Committee’s recommendations to make sure this legislation brings in the strong and effective safeguards we need to keep children safe online.
The Internet Watch Foundation has heralded a “pivotal moment” in online safety as new laws to help make the internet safer for children are adopted in the UK.
AI-generated child sexual abuse videos have surged 400% in 2025, with experts warning of increasingly realistic, extreme content and the urgent need for regulation to prevent full-length synthetic abuse films.
Last month the UK Protection of children’s Codes came into force, requiring online platforms to prevent children from encountering harm online.
New Internet Watch Foundation data reveals a sharp rise in commercial child sexual abuse websites, with criminal gangs monetising children’s exploitation through subscription models and digital payments. The charity warns of systemic failures across online platforms, financial services and encrypted technologies that allow abuse to flourish. As reports of sexual extortion surge, particularly targeting boys, the IWF calls for stronger regulation of payment systems, encryption safeguards and decisive government action to disrupt the online economy of child sexual exploitation.