IWF data shows 20,000 webpages included coerced ‘self-generated’ sexual abuse imagery of 7- to 10-year-olds in first half of 2022
The IWF is calling the growth of this criminal content a social and digital emergency, which needs a coordinated and sustained response from Government, law enforcement, the tech industry and the whole of the society to address it.
When compared to the first half of 2020, the increase in this type of content depicting 7–10-year-olds children is of 360%, according to the new data released by the IWF.
Despite the rapid increase, the largest amount of ‘self-generated’ content found by the IWF showed 11-13 years old.
‘Self-generated’ child sexual abuse content is produced with webcams or internet connected devices and then spread via several platforms and aps. Children are in some cases coerced, groomed, or extorted into sharing sexual images or videos of themselves.
For more information on what’s happening in our children’s bedrooms, listen to episode 2 of IWF’s newest podcast ‘In Conversation With’, freely available at https://www.iwf.org.uk/about-us/why-we-exist/our-podcast/in-conversation-with-podcast/
Parents and carers are encouraged to T.A.L.K to the young people in their lives about online dangers. Visit talk.iwf.org.uk for a parents and carers guide to prevent this kind of abuse.