Building on the momentum of our awareness campaigns in 2024, IWF strengthened its role as a trusted global voice in tackling child sexual abuse material online – not only through our frontline action, but through the way we connect, inform and influence conversations worldwide.
Our outreach this year moved beyond visibility; it focused on shaping understanding. Through research-led messaging, public educational resources, strategic partnerships and proactive media engagement, we worked to ensure that those empowered to act – parents, educators, policymakers and technology companies – have the evidence and insight they need to drive meaningful change.
IWF’s expertise continued to be recognised internationally. In 2025, our data and analysis were featured across leading global media outlets including Le Monde, Der Spiegel, BBC News, Channel 4, Euronews, The Guardian and Reuters, reinforcing our position as a go-to voice for accurate intelligence on child sexual abuse online, and the technologies needed to detect and remove it. This broad international coverage strengthened public confidence and deepened global understanding to emerging threats.
A major focus this year has been the ongoing Think Before You Share campaign, empowering young people to understand the risks of sharing nude images online and equipping parents and educators with practical, judgement-free tools to support them. Funded by a grant-giving body and our Member, Disney, with advertising credits from TikTok, Snapchat and X, early engagement results show strong resonance among parents, educators and youth-facing professionals.
With new content and resources designed for teenagers, parents and professionals, awareness is translating into real-world actions. Think Before You Share achieved a [Z% increase] in engagement compared with the previous year, showing growing confidence among young people and families in seeking support early.
Our cornerstone service, Report Remove, developed with NSPCC’s Childline, continues to deliver impact for young people whose intimate images have been shared online. Since 2024, reports from under-18s have increased by [Y% increase], reflecting greater trust, improved visibility and stronger signposting through Think Before You Share and partner networks.
Alongside this, we delivered targeted initiatives to address fast-evolving safety challenges. Our policy-led campaign on AI-generated child sexual abuse material brought together policymakers, industry partners and child protection advocates to strengthen regulatory frameworks and set clearer guardrails for AI-enabled platforms and tools.
AI CSAM Guide for Professionals
In partnership with the National Crime Agency (NCA), we also launched a major new suite of AI guidance resources for professionals over the summer. These resources provide essential support for frontline practitioners navigating the growing risks posed by AI-generated abuse and have been welcomed across the safeguarding community as a practical, timely tool to support their work.
“Awareness is only the starting line.” says Angela Muñoz Aroca, IWF Senior Campaigns and Communications Officer. “We’re shifting the focus from simply knowing the risks online, to actively helping young people make safer choices and equipping parents, carers and educators to support them. Our aim is lasting behavioural change – opening honest conversations, building confidence and creating the environment where children feel empowered to pause, reflect and act differently.
“Together, we can move from awareness to action and help ensure that young people are supported in navigating the digital world safely.”
With growing attention on AI-generated abuse and new forms of exploitation and growing forms of online exploitation, IWF’s voice remains central in shaping how technology, regulation and public awareness evolve together. As we look to 2026, we will continue to strengthen public confidence and global collaboration, ensuring that awareness leads to protection – and protection leads to prevention.
Find out more information about our awareness campaigns or more details regarding online safety and advice resources.