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Safety of children 'at risk' due to failure of EU institutions to agree on reporting sexual abuse material

Recent worldwide study found about one in five children in Western Europe reported experiencing unwanted or pressured sexual interactions online before the age of 18. File picture

Fri, 20 Mar, 2026 - 01:00

Ann Murphy

The safety of children is being put at risk by a row between the European Parliament and European Council about how tech firms voluntarily detect and report sexual abuse material, according to the Children’s Rights Alliance.

The MEPS and various governments failed in recent days to agree on extending a voluntary framework for online platforms to carry out limited monitoring for child sexual abuse material.

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