Shocking surge in online child exploitation with Australian Federal Police now receiving 160 reports each day

More children accessing the internet has led to a shocking surge in child exploitation in the last year, with the Australian Federal Police now receiving about 160 reports per day.

Fresh data shows that reports of online child exploitation to the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation have increased by 45 per cent in the past financial year.

In the 2023-24 financial year, the ACCCE recorded 58,503 reports of online child abuse.

The ACCCE received 40,232 reports in the previous financial year.

In 2018, the ACCCE’s first year of operation, it received 14,285 reports of online child abuse.

The rising number of reports reflects the increasing levels of online child sexual abuse identified, alongside greater community awareness of the issue.

The AFP released the new data to coincide with National Child Protection Week, which commenced on Sunday, and aims to raise the profile of all issues related to child protection.

AFP commander of ACCCE and human exploitation Helen Schneider said the spike in reports was a “valuable resource” in her agency’s fight against child exploitation.

“As more children and young people access the internet, we have seen an upward trend in cases of online child sexual exploitation,” she said.

“While the increase is confronting, authorities can only help those we know about so we continue to encourage parents and caregivers to engage with their children to talk about how they can remain safe online and learn how to report.

“Every one of these reports contains images and videos of real children being sexually abused or exploited for the sexual gratification of offenders.”

The ACCCE brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into online child sexual exploitation and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.

It works with partners in law enforcement, industry and government to educate the public and investigate perpetrators.

“We need to be acting as a community to be alive to the risks that may be facing our children, and prevent online child sexual exploitation — during National Child Protection Week and every week,” Cdr Schneider said.

The ACCCE receives, on average, almost 5000 reports a month.

The highest number of reports were received in November 2023 when almost 6000 cases were reported to it by members of the public and the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.

This comes as the Internet Watch Foundation, the UK’s front line against child sexual abuse imagery online, warns organised criminals are becoming “more adept” at extorting money from children.

The IWF said children as young as 11 are being preyed on in sextortion scams, as criminal gangs target younger victims and girls in an “exponential increase in cruelty”.

Sextortion is where a criminal will coerce or trick a child into sharing nude or sexual imagery, often while pretending to be someone else, then threaten to share the imagery with the victim’s family and friends, or on the open web, if money is not sent.

Children and young people targeted this way are exposed to violent threats and abuse. They are also made to feel isolated and humiliated.

Young people, including those in Australia, have taken their own lives as a result of the shame and distress of being sextorted.

New data from the IWF reveals that in the first half of 2024, child sexual abuse reports related to sexual extortion were up 19 per cent compared to the same period last year.

While children aged 16 and 17 still make up the majority of sextortion victims, there has been a 25 per cent increase in 14 and 15-year-old victims.

This year, for the first time, the IWF also received three confirmed reports involving children aged 11-13 years.

Boys still make up the majority of victims but there has been a substantial spike in reports involving girls.

“These crimes really do plumb the depths of cruelty and hatefulness,” IWF Deputy CEO Heidi Kempster said.

“For the victims, being threatened like this can put them in a desperate, lonely place.

“They are children, and they are frightened.”

IWF hotline manager Tamsin McNally said criminals were “widening their nets” to catch as many children as possible, including more girls than in previous years.

“I’ve been at the IWF for 10 years and the way these children are being targeted is among the cruellest things I’ve ever seen,” she said.

“The exponential increase in cruelty associated with sextortion has been on a whole other level.

“I see at least one sextortion report come in every day. The sense of shame and fear inflicted on victims makes it so hard for them to speak out about what is happening to them.

“We must warn young people that the people you talk to online may not be who they say they are.”

If you have information about people involved in online child sexual exploitation you are urged to contact the ACCCE.

If abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.