EU Agrees to Ban AI Nudifying Tools and AI-Generated CSAM
A reflection on this major step forward
After intense and sustained advocacy by child rights organisations, the European Union agreed last week to ban AI systems that can nudify or are capable of generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The agreement marks an important milestone in recognising the harms posed by AI systems that can generate sexual content, particularly for children and young […]
Joint Statement on the End of EU Legal Basis to Detect CSA
Europe is switching its detection of child sexual abuse online off BRUSSELS – Because of political gridlock, from 3 April 2026, online service providers in the European Union will no longer be able to detect child sexual abuse material on their platforms. A letter signed by over 245 organisations working to advance children’s rights and […]
We Can Still Turn the Tide on Digital Harms
Yesterday, Meta and YouTube were found liable for deliberately designing addictive products that hooked a young user and led to her being harmed. The tech companies were found to be negligent and to have failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential dangers of their products. This landmark jury verdict in the United States marks […]
Legal Uncertainty on CSAM Detection: What the EU’s Delay Means for Child Protection
On Monday, EU countries and lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on extending the interim derogation that allows online platforms to voluntarily detect and remove child sexual abuse material. Back when the e-Privacy Regulation was negotiated, EU policy-makers already saw the value of proactive detection to prevent the dissemination of child sexual abuse online. This […]
EU Action Plan on Cyberbullying: A Timely Step to Protect Children Online
Last month, the European Commission launched the EU Action Plan Against Cyberbullying, committing to review digital legislation to better address this issue. This initiative is extremely timely, as European child helplines recorded an average of 216 contacts per day related to bullying in 2024 alone. And it is only getting worse, often overlapping with other […]
Preventing Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Africa: What Works?
Strengthening Child Protection Through Awareness Raising and Stakeholder Engagement
Across Eastern and Southern Africa, child helplines are strengthening national responses to Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA) through community-driven awareness campaigns and coordinated stakeholder engagement. The new Voice Up Africa! Best Practices Report documents practical insights, impact and lessons learned from seven national child helplines working to prevent and respond to OCSEA. The report […]
Statement Calling for Ban of Nudify
Child Helpline International Joins Global Call to Ban Nudifying Tools and Protect Children from Exploitation
Amsterdam, Netherlands – Today, on Safer Internet Day, Child Helpline International stands with over 430 public institutions, civil society organisations, companies and individual signatories globally to demand urgent action against nudifying tools, technology designed to create non-consensual nude and abusive imagery, disproportionately targeting children and women. These tools fuel sexual exploitation, extortion, and harm, yet […]
Early Insights from Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Delay
As of December 10, 2025, Australia has implemented a mandatory minimum age of 16 for holding social media accounts, covering platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, X, YouTube, and others. The law, aimed at protecting young people’s mental health, requires platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent access, with potential fines for non-compliance. As part […]
Building Stronger Child Helpline Responses to Online Harms
Reflections from a Voice Up Africa Training in Namibia
From 4–5 November 2025, we had the privilege of co-facilitating an in-person training in Windhoek, Namibia, under the Voice Up Africa project, focused on online harms and how child helplines can respond effectively. As Childline South Africa’s Online Counselling Manager for the past 13 years, this topic is deeply personal to me. The digital world […]
Letter to the European Commission on Children’s Online Protection
Calling for children’s voices to shape EU digital policy
In December, Child Helpline International, together with our national members Børns Vilkår (Denmark) and BRIS (Sweden), sent a letter to President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission calling for children’s voices to be placed at the centre of EU policymaking on online safety. Drawing on direct insights from millions of contacts to child […]