Safe Online

💰 We’ve doubled our commitment! Safe Online has expanded its 2024 Open Call with an additional $5M, bringing the total investment for this funding round to up to $10M. This funding supports bold, scalable solutions to tackle online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Learn more: https://loom.ly/fgYF860

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) just dropped its 2024 report and the findings are a wake up call for all parents In 2024, the Internet Watch Foundation assessed 424,047 reports of harmful content that’s an 8% increase from the previous year. That equates to 1 report every 74 seconds. But here’s what’s more striking: 63% of these reports weren’t submitted by the public they were proactively discovered by IWF analysts. Who is being harmed? 1. 97% of victims (where gender was identifiable) were girls 2. Content involving 14–15 year olds rose by 35% 3. Reports featuring 16–17 yearolds jumped by 67% The rise in teenage exploitation, especially through coercion and image-based abuse, is something every parent, educator, and policymaker should be paying attention to. Where is this content hosted? 62% of confirmed child sexual abuse imagery (CSAI) is hosted in EU countries The Netherlands remains the top hosting nation Poland saw an 8,000% increase after one major site relocated its servers there This shows how fast offenders can adapt, move, and exploit regulatory loopholes. Why this matters more than ever: 1. IWF analysts reviewed over 729,000 images and videos, with nearly a third classified as the most severe form of abuse (Category A). 2. Even more alarming AI-generated abuse imagery surged by 380%. The technology is evolving, and so are the risks. What can parents do? ✅ Talk to your children early and often about online safety ✅ Encourage open conversations, shame is the predator’s greatest weapon ✅ Use tools like Report Remove to help young people regain control over harmful imagery ✅ Understand that most of this is happening without a single report detection and prevention are key This is not just a job for governments or tech companies. This is a call to every single one of us For full report : https://lnkd.in/ewcrtF8k

🌍 Creative agencies, your moment is here! Safe Online is on the lookout for a visionary agency to lead a global push for children’s digital safety. We’re commissioning a team to build a compelling advocacy narrative and a dynamic communications toolkit. What’s the mission? ✨ Shape an impactful narrative around sustainable financing, innovation, and collective action ✨ Deliver clear, evidence-backed messaging ✨ Spark a worldwide movement for safer digital experiences for children 📅 Deadline: 7 May 2025, 15:00 CET 📌 Learn more & apply: https://lnkd.in/eAbMjSxJ

🌍 Solutions Exist, But Funding Must Scale Our 2024 Open Call received over 300 proposals showcasing groundbreaking approaches to combat online child exploitation. With up to $10M now committed, we’re scaling up support for impactful solutions globally. Learn more: https://loom.ly/fgYF860

Examine how integrated, child-centred services can help dismantle the barriers young survivors of sexual abuse face — including fear, stigma, and the risk of re-traumatization. UNICEF new literature review, Multidisciplinary Models of Care for Child Victims and Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation in the Digital Age, explores how collaboration across health, justice, and child protection sectors can lead to more effective, compassionate, and coordinated support. These models show that when systems work together, children receive the care and protection they need and deserve. 🔗 Explore the full report here: https://loom.ly/R1yDbvo

📣 Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) launches Annual Data & Insights Report with the latest trends on the global fight against online child sexual abuse material. Register for the virtual event at https://lnkd.in/dw4vwif3

When “likes” become exploitation: The urgent need to protect child influencers 📺 Netflix’s new documentary, Bad Influence, sparks long-overdue conversations about how children are exposed, exploited, and commodified online. Whether it’s toddlers vlogging toy reviews or teens under pressure to perform for brand deals, the influencer industry continues to grow without the regulations to match and protect children. As the film shows, the risks are real: coercion, burnout, loss of privacy, and, in the most harrowing cases, sexual exploitation. ECPAT International is extremely worried about how new digital models offer new and changing avenues to exploit children sexually. The absence of legal safeguards, labour rights, and age-appropriate protections for “kidfluencers” reflects a broader failure to treat online child safety as a public priority. It’s time for all of us to work together for stronger protections, better regulation, and more accountability, especially from tech platforms and advertisers being used to harm children. 📢 Let’s make this moment count. Learn more about ECPAT’s work to protect children online: https://lnkd.in/gsX-zpW8 

🚨Safe Online is stepping up its fight against online child sexual exploitation and abuse. After receiving over 300 proposals through our 2024 Open Call, we’re boosting the 2024 Open Call by an additional $5M—bringing our total envelope for this funding round to nearly $10 million. This May, we’ll announce the first cohort of new grantees driving bold, scalable solutions to safeguard children online, with more projects to be selected throughout the year. The scale of the crisis demands urgent action, and we’re committed to delivering real impact globally and creating a safer digital future for children. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eZfeRUp6

📣 Calling all creative agencies! Help Safe Online drive global change for children’s digital safety. We’re commissioning an agency to craft a powerful advocacy narrative and communications package—focused on sustainable financing, innovation, and collective action—to support our grantees and partners worldwide. 🔹 Develop advocacy narrative and evidence-based messaging 🔹 Empower a global movement for safe digital futures Apply by 7 May 2025, 15:00 CET! Apply: https://lnkd.in/eAbMjSxJ ISD (Institute for Strategic Dialogue), Narrative Initiative, Edelman, FrameWorks Institute, Radical Communicators Network (RadComms), Center for Story-based Strategy, The Global Development Incubator, Burness #Job #Vacancy

In 2024, global tech companies collaborated through the Tech Coalition to strengthen their efforts to prevent and respond to online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Read about this work and its impact in their new Annual Report and Lantern Transparency Report: https://loom.ly/oaibRBA