Reports of child sexual abuse material surge to almost 28,000, new data reveals

Almost 28,000 reports of child sexual abuse material linked to Ireland last year as experts warn of AI-driven exploitation

Reports relating to Ireland regarding the hosting of child sexual abuse material online, combined with the 27,946 reports of such material logged by tech companies to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, increased ninefold last year. File picture

Almost 28,000 reports of child sexual abuse material were logged in Ireland by tech companies with a US-based watchdog last year.

The figure is being revealed by the Scottish-based Childlight global child safety institute, following the publication of its report this week. 

It comes as a conference takes place in Dublin on Thursday on technology’s impact on sexual abuse material, sexual violence, and sexual exploitation. 

Concern about the use of artificial intelligence and deep fakes is expected to be heard during the conference, which is being hosted by anti-sexual exploitation organisation Ruhama.

The Childlight study, Into the Light, revealed that reports relating to Ireland regarding the hosting of child sexual abuse material online, combined with the 27,946 reports of such material logged by tech companies to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), increased ninefold last year.

The report was conducted by researchers from the University of Edinburgh and analysed reports on hosting made to INHOPE (association of internet hotline providers), and reports of child sexual abuse material made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The report outlined that the rate for Ireland was up from six per 100,000 people in 2023 to 53.5 per 100,000 people last year. 

It noted that Ireland’s rate is below the Western European average of 72.2 and said that “the rise may reflect improved detection”.

Spokesman for Childlight, Jason Allardyce, told the Irish Examiner that Ireland’s moves in tackling child sexual abuse material are strong, including “the fact that Ireland is one of the first countries to have a regulator, with Coimisúin na Meán”. 

He said that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which is answerable to US Congress, “requires tech companies like Meta to share with it details of any child abuse material they discover on their platforms like Facebook”. 

The report outlined that the rate for Ireland was up from six per 100,000 people in 2023 to 53.5 per 100,000 people last year.  Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

He added that the same applies to other social media platforms.

He said: “In 2024, a total of 27,946 reports of child sexual abuse material was logged with NCMEC for Ireland — this is a rise since 2023 when the figure was 13,265.” 

Meanwhile, Ruhama CEO Barbara Condon, said that the conference being held in Dublin on Thursday comes amid huge challenges posed by technology.

The theme of the conference is Technology Friend or Foe? An International Conversation on Combatting Pornography, Sexual Violence and Sexual Exploitation.

Ms Condon said: “AI is opening up a kind of nightmare world of deep fake porn and online grooming. 

"It is an area that is so new to the vast majority of us, but it is really important to explore it and counteract it.” 

And she cited a case where the use of technology was used as a tool against a trafficked woman who left the sex trade and turned her life around.

Ms Condon said the woman had a conviction arising out of her sex work because at the time, it was a crime to sell sex.

She continued: “She was working in a job and refused to go out with a male colleague, and he then googled her and found out about her past history, and he shared it with her colleagues in their workplace.”