Childlight warns of rising online sexual abuse of children

Childlight has published research estimating that 27% of children face unwanted or pressured sexual interactions online. The study also found that nearly one in 10 children face sexual extortion.

The report, produced by the child safety institute hosted by the University of Edinburgh and the University of New South Wales in Sydney, analysed 147 studies across 60 countries. It describes online solicitation as a range of interactions, including grooming, that can take place via mobile phones or the internet and can lead to the exchange of intimate photos and videos.

Its findings suggest girls are more likely than boys to be affected before the age of 18, with 38.6% of females and 19% of males experiencing this form of abuse. In the past year alone, the institute estimated that 7.4% of girls and 5.3% of boys were affected, equivalent to nearly 7% of children overall.

The research also points to a wider pattern of abuse linked to digital platforms. Detection of self-generated abuse content is rising, often in cases involving grooming, deception or extortion.

Regional picture

Reported past-year prevalence of online solicitation was highest in East and Southern Africa, at 9.7% of children. Latin America and the Caribbean followed at 7.6%, with Western Europe at 7.4%.

Other regions recorded lower but still significant levels: East Asia and the Pacific at 6.8%, South Asia at 6.5%, Eastern Europe and Central Asia at 5.2%, and North America at 4.1%.

For prevalence before age 18, Western Europe had the highest estimate at 37.4%. It was followed by Latin America and the Caribbean at 29.9%, East Asia and the Pacific at 29.1%, and North America at 12.9%.

Childlight said its work builds on earlier estimates that more than 300 million children experienced at least one type of online sexual exploitation and abuse in the past year. It also cited separate findings showing that more than 130 million children experienced offline sexual violence in 2024.

Manuals spread

The report also examined the circulation of so-called paedophile manuals, described as guidance materials for abusers on how to access and harm children, obtain abuse material and evade justice. These ranged from handbooks to information shared on social media platforms.

Data from Child Rescue Coalition showed 1,548 cases of devices containing such material in 2023 and 2024 across 61 countries. The cases included 19 countries in Western Europe, 11 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 10 in East Asia and the Pacific, nine in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and nine in the Middle East and North Africa.

The institute called for laws making the creation, possession and dissemination of these manuals illegal. It also urged governments to close legal loopholes around AI-generated abuse material, improve data collection and invest more in hotlines and reporting tools.

Professor Debi Fry led the project for Childlight. "The harms of childhood sexual abuse are not fleeting. For many victims, they include trauma, anxiety, depression and self-harm that can last long into adulthood."

"Evidence indicates that it contributes more to ill health among girls and women than widely recognised risk factors such as smoking, harmful alcohol use or lack of physical activity. Among boys, it is a greater factor than poor diet. So this is a worldwide health emergency - but it is preventable," Fry said.

The report argues that child sexual abuse should be treated as a public health issue, with health ministers playing a central role in prevention. It says health systems can help by giving parents guidance on child development, checking children's wellbeing and offering support through services families already use.

It also warns that the threat is changing as technology creates new routes for offenders. Criminal networks profit from the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, while children can be groomed online, manipulated into producing images of themselves and then blackmailed.

Rhiannon-Faye McDonald, who campaigns on online safety through the Marie Collins Foundation, said her own experience began when she was 13 and was approached online by a perpetrator posing as a teenager. The abuse later continued in person after he arrived at her home, she said.

"These findings reflect what we see every day in our work with victims and survivors of technology-assisted child sexual abuse. The scale is deeply concerning, and the impacts are real and long-lasting.

"Framing this as a public health issue is essential. Health systems have a critical role to play in recognising harm early, responding appropriately and preventing further trauma - but that depends on children being identified and treated as victims within those systems. Without that recognition, opportunities for early support and prevention are too often missed," McDonald said.