EU report reveals sharp rise in online child sexual exploitation reports

The European Centre to Combat Child Sexual Abuse published its inaugural annual report documenting over 32 million reports of suspected child sexual abuse material received by EU member states in 2023, a substantial increase from previous years driven by both greater platform reporting and rising production of AI-generated CSAM. The report identifies gaps in detection capability, cross-border coordination and the speed at which material is removed after initial identification.

Sustained detection at scale requires systems that intercept abuse as conversations begin rather than cataloguing material after harm has occurred. Guardii's real-time platform identifies grooming, sextortion and CSAM including AI-generated deepfakes within direct messages on Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, Roblox and other services, surfacing patterns of coercion and escalation to parents, schools or law enforcement before exploitation becomes entrenched. By analysing the shape and seriousness of a conversation rather than warehousing message content, the system addresses the operational challenge the EU Centre has identified: closing the window between first contact and material harm.