Online sexual exploitation and abuse of children is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world.

In recent years, the amount of child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, has exploded online. Whether it takes form as photographs, pre-recorded videos, livestreams or AI-generated content, all CSAM shares one common truth: Someone abused a child in the process. 

In 2024, there were 20.5 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation, including over 62.9 million distinct images, videos and other files. Globally, more than 300 million children have experienced online sexual exploitation and abuse, which research shows is severely underreported.  

In the U.S., there are few requirements on tech companies to proactively detect, report and remove CSAM. Although U.S.-based companies are legally required to report instances of CSAM to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipLine, there are still no laws that require them to look for such content on their platforms. Without regulation to hold them accountable, these companies have made minimal progress in addressing online abuse and exploitation of children. There has also been a concerning decrease in reporting from major platforms. While there is bipartisan support for legislation to address this growing crisis, pushback from tech lobbyists and privacy advocates leveraging inaccurate messaging and scare tactics continues to delay meaningful action from Congress. The decline in reporting highlights the continued need to push Congress for stronger laws requiring companies to transparently report CSAM and other child abuse and exploitation on their platforms.  

We can put an end to these insidious crimes against children. But first, we must raise awareness of their prevalence; educate children, youth, caregivers and trusted adults on online risks and protection best practices; get more and better data on the issue; and fight for stronger laws to protect children. 

Our Approach

We use a rights-based, trauma-informed and survivor-centered approach, with a focus on safeguarding, in our online child protection programming and advocacy. We are guided by three intervention strategies: 

1. Individual level: We develop targeted prevention and response programs that put children’s and young people’s voices at the center. 
2. Community level:We help communities strengthen the protection capacities of both formal and informal local child protection systems. 
3. National level and beyond:We advocate for the enactment, implementation and enforcement of critical online safety policies at the global, national and local levels. 

Learn More:  Preventing Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) and Promoting Online Safety: Organization Guidance for Designing and Implementing Interventions (2023)
ChildFund's Online Protection Strategy 2025-2030 

Advocacy Spotlight: U.S. Campaign to #TakeItDown

In 2023, the #TakeItDown campaign was launched to hold tech companies accountable for allowing child sexual exploitation and abuse to proliferate online. Since then, we have seen significant momentum in the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that will lead to a safer internet for children everywhere.

We garnered bipartisan support during the Senate hearing on January 31, 2024, with Big Tech CEOs and elevated the voices and experiences of survivors and survivor parents, highlighting the critical urgency of this issue. The REPORT Act was signed into law, further strengthening our efforts to combat online abuse. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) successfully passed the Senate, marking a major step forward in protecting children online. Finally, the Take It Down Act, aimed at protecting and empowering victims of real and deepfake non-consensual image sharing, passed the Senate Commerce committee.

Most importantly, our movement has been driven by the powerful voices of survivors, whose stories and advocacy have been at the heart of our progress.