AI fuelling a new one age of child abuse – 600,000 victims in Britain | UK | News

British children are experiencing a ‘shocking epidemic’ of child sexual abuse, with nearly 1 in 20 children being raped or sexually assaulted and 1 in 10 exposed to sexually unwelcome online content, a new study has found.
The research shows that 608,763 young people were raped or sexually assaulted before the age of 18, and more than one million young people were groomed, coerced, exploited or exposed to unwanted sexual content, including AI-generated child sexual abuse images.

The study, conducted by the University of Edinburgh-based Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, suggests there is an epidemic of abuse, both behind closed doors and on screens, where children are being sexually abused, often by people they know.

UK figures are taken from Childlight’s major new effort ‘Into the Light’, released this week. Research reveals a 1,325 percent increase in child sexual abuse material produced by artificial intelligence since 2023. The images now include “deepfakes” of children’s faces superimposed on naked bodies, or a blend of synthetic-real abuse videos.

The institute warns that most abusers are family members or trusted adults who force children to create sexual content or share explicit photos as part of grooming rituals. These images are then bought and sold through encrypted networks, private messaging apps and even mainstream social media.

Professor Elena Martellozzo, Director of Childlight’s European Centre, said: “We are experiencing a shocking epidemic of sexual assault, rape and sexual abuse among children. Estimates suggest that around half of perpetrators are known to children – either family members or friends. Some of these figures highlight that the problem is increasingly being reported, but we know that online abuse is rising sharply. Many perpetrators are self-reported.” grooming their children or acquaintances of themselves or their families to provide pictures. to access the networks of other online criminals.”

The figures are based on a synthesis of 14 UK studies and show that 4.4 per cent of British children (roughly 608,763 out of 13.8 million children aged 0-17) were raped or sexually assaulted before adulthood.

Researchers used the United Nations definitions of rape and sexual assault; This definition includes both penetration and other non-consensual sexual acts performed through coercion, threat or force.

The research says offline abuse often occurs in environments where children should be safest: home, school, friendship circle or care setting.

A separate UK-based analysis found that 11 per cent of children aged 5-17 (about 1,126,027 young people) had been exposed to unwanted sexual content online in the past year. And it is estimated that 2,006,375 children – or 20 per cent – ​​will face online grooming when they are frequently pressured to share sexually explicit images.

Relatives are thought to be responsible for more than half of child sexual abuse material worldwide, with fathers estimated to produce an estimated 900,000 images in 2024 alone.

Professor Martellozzo said: “Children are digital by default. They learn, socialize and meet online. It is a mistake to think they are safe. We need a conversation at a policy level, especially at a regulatory level. The Online Safety Act is pressuring tech companies to put more security controls on apps, but we are still a long way from ensuring technology is safe for children.”

“Offline and online abuse often takes place in the same homes. At Childlight we see this as a public health issue; we need services for affected children and children need to be aware of this.”

Professor Martellozzo also warned that the explosion of AI-generated exploitation images was “empowering” exploitation networks and blurring the lines between fantasy and real crime. He warned that the rapid increase in AI-generated abuse images was “significantly accelerating” exploitation networks and “eroding the boundary between digital fantasy and real-world criminality.”

Professor Debi Fry, who led the research, said many victims remain silent out of fear, guilt or confusion: “They may blame themselves or not realize what is happening is abuse. But the trauma can last a lifetime, affecting health, confidence and even life expectancy.”

Paul Stanfield, Chief Executive of Childlight, said: “People often say home is where the heart is – but sadly for many children, home is where the pain is. We are seeing large-scale betrayal of the trust of people children know, accompanied by inadequate protection from technology companies and regulators to prevent digital crime scenes in children’s bedrooms. This is a hidden emergency – but it is preventable, not inevitable.”

Childlight estimates that around 7 percent of children in Western Europe (about five million) have been raped or sexually assaulted before the age of 18; these rates are twice as high in girls (9.7%) than in boys (3.9%).

Nearly one in five children (19.6%) report experiencing online harassment or grooming; This corresponds to approximately 15 million victims. One in seven people say this has happened in the last year alone.

The study analyzed 48 surveys from 19 European countries and found wide differences; however, as mobile phones and social media became the “new frontier” of abuse, a consistent upward trend emerged.

Childlight’s Into the Light report, which analyzed 94 population-based studies on rape and sexual assault and 77 on online abuse, is the largest known dataset of its kind.

The next step, researchers say, is to treat child sexual abuse as a health emergency, not just a criminal justice issue.