Young people are spending more time than ever before using devices, and so it is important to understand the risks of connecting with others behind a screen or through a device and to identify what makes a child vulnerable online. At home, Lin would import the media files shared on the Telegram groups through external cloud storage links, download entire folders of the files, and then move them to his personal hard drives. It can lead to the removal of criminal content and even the rescue of a child from further abuse. If you’d like to find out what happens with your report, you can leave an email address and request we get in touch. Safer Internet Day on Feb. 11 serves as a reminder to protect children from online exploitation, she said.

Laws

Law enforcement across the U.S. are cracking down on a troubling spread of child sexual abuse imagery created through artificial intelligence technology — from manipulated photos of real children to graphic depictions of computer-generated kids. Your question is a very important one, and one that more and more people are wondering about. While some people may feel that they are not “abusing” a child by “just watching” pornography with children, there is a child being sexually abused in any situation where they are the object of an adult’s sexual behaviors. Those arrested were not only suspected of watching or downloading child sex abuse images. In each of these cases, we can surmise that perpetrator(s) gained access to the content management system for a website, then added URLs – hidden pages – to that website containing child sexual abuse material. In 2023, as in previous years, image hosts were the website type most frequently abused by offenders distributing child sexual abuse imagery.

Germany shuts down major online child sex abuse material platform ‘KidFlix’

• DeMay’s father said adults have to be warned that their children will have access to the whole planet with a phone device.
• For the remaining eleven months the website was owned and operated by the Australian Queensland Police Service’s Task Force Argos, as part of Operation Artemis.
• OnlyFans was a big winner during the pandemic, exploding in popularity as much of the world was housebound.
• The AI images are also given a unique code like a digital fingerprint so they can be automatically traced even if they are deleted and re-uploaded somewhere else.
• A large chunk of the victims, 38.8 percent, in 2022 were minors who took selfies, while 16.9 percent were filmed secretly, and 15.7 percent were victims filmed during prostitution or sex.

Hertfordshire Police told us that a 14-year-old girl had managed to use her grandmother’s passport and bank details to sell explicit images. Caitlyn says it was stated “everywhere” on other online accounts that her daughter was 17. There is no obligation for a website to investigate, but OnlyFans told the BBC it checks social media when verifying accounts. Leah’s age was directly reported to OnlyFans by an anonymous social media account in late January. The company says this led to a moderator reviewing the account and double-checking her ID.

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM), formerly called child pornography. Young people, including children and teenagers, may look for pictures or videos of their peers doing child porn sexual things because they are curious, or want to know more about sex. Many youth who look for this content do not realize that it is illegal for them to look at it, even if they are a minor themselves. The institute noted that while child sex crimes were rife in multiple countries, the Philippines has been identified by international law enforcement agencies, NGOs and academics as the global ‘hub’ for live streaming such material. At the heart of the Supreme Court’s ruling is the concept of “constructive possession,” which goes beyond the traditional understanding of possession to include access and control over child sexual exploitation material, even if it is not stored or downloaded. The Court ruled that an individual’s ability to manipulate, alter, or delete CSEAM, even if accessed only temporarily, satisfies the requirement of possession under Section 15 of the POCSO Act.

Childline counsellors have come across a number of cases in which under-18s, some of whom are vulnerable, reference their use of OnlyFans. The deputy head asked to be anonymous to protect the identities of the children. In its response, OnlyFans says all active subscriptions would now be refunded.