The National Crime Agency warns that advances in technology, including generative AI and encrypted messaging, are increasing online child sexual abuse by making it easier for offenders to target children, with AI-generated nude imagery heightening risks and safeguarding at a critical level.

Police and authorities warn that most cases go unreported or unidentified, revealing gaps in detection and reporting mechanisms.

Officials are calling for government funding to boost prevention programs and enhanced offender management to deter abuse and disrupt offending before it occurs.

While improvements have been made in investigations, protection, and survivor support, advocates urge stronger action under the Online Safety Act and better inter-agency collaboration.

UK police are dealing with a massive global flow of reports, with tens of millions of online child exploitation reports worldwide; locally, referrals, arrests, and protections run into the thousands weekly and monthly, with particular spikes noted in a single week of January.

Jess Phillips highlights the horrific scale of abuse and notes ongoing government efforts, including undercover online policing, a dedicated taskforce, and initiatives like Operation Croft and the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs to protect children and prosecute offenders.

NCA’s Rob Jones warns that tech-company improvements are insufficient and a holistic, system-wide response is required beyond policing alone.

Temporary Chief Constable Becky Riggs urges tech firms to urgently create hostile environments for offenders, improve detection of child sexual abuse material, and design platforms to be safer by default.

Experts estimate up to 840,000 people in the UK may have a sexual interest in children, suggesting potential offenders are in every community and victims could be in every school.

The overarching message is a pressing call for stronger regulation of tech platforms, enhanced child protection measures, and intensified cross-government and law enforcement collaboration to safeguard children online.

New abuse forms include livestreamed abuse from as little as £20 and a rise in financially motivated sexual extortion, with online networks distributing increasingly violent material, mainly targeting teenage boys.

NCA director general operations emphasizes that algorithm-driven content can connect like-minded individuals and reinforce harmful beliefs rather than challenge them.