"In 2025, new data show, the volume of child pornography online was likely larger than at any other point in history. A record 312,030 reports of confirmed child pornography were investigated last year by the Internet Watch Foundation, a U.K.-based organization that works around the globe to identify and remove such material from the web. This is concerning in and of itself. It means that the overall volume of child porn detected on the internet grew by 7 percent since 2024,"
"At first blush, the proliferation of AI-generated depictions of child sexual abuse may leave the misimpression that no children were harmed. This is not the case. AI-generated, abusive images and videos feature and victimize real children-either because models were trained on existing child porn, or because AI was used to manipulate real photos and videos. Today, the IWF reported that it found 3,440 AI-generated videos of child sex abuse in 2025; the year before, it found just 13."
In 2025 the volume of child pornography online reached a record, with 312,030 confirmed reports investigated by the Internet Watch Foundation. Detected material rose 7 percent compared with 2024. AI-generated images and videos surged: 3,440 AI-generated videos were identified in 2025 versus 13 the year before. Nearly two-thirds of those AI videos were Category A (penetration, sexual torture, bestiality) and about 30 percent were Category B (nonpenetrative sexual acts). Social media, encrypted messaging, dark-web forums, and generative AI have fueled the rise, and real children were victimized through training data or manipulated media. A further increase is likely in 2026.
Read at The Atlantic
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