Record number of children fall victim to online sexual exploitation
A record number of children and teenagers became victims of online sexual exploitation last year, according to the annual report of Child Focus. The organisation recorded 837 victims of sextortion, grooming and non-consensual sexting in 2025, more than double the 401 cases registered three years earlier.
According to Child Focus, the growing use of artificial intelligence is playing a major role in the increase, particularly through the spread of “deepnudes”- realistic nude images generated using AI.
“It is not easy for children and young people to navigate a world where so much is possible, but things are also so complex,” said Child Focus CEO Nel Broothaerts. “Urgent work must be done to improve the online protection of our children.”
Sharp rise in grooming and sextortion
Grooming, in which an adult builds trust with a minor for sexual purposes, rose sharply last year. Child Focus opened 108 new files, a 151 per cent increase compared with 2024. Victims were on average 13 years old.
The organisation also recorded 433 victims of sextortion, up 143 per cent year-on-year. Sextortion involves blackmail using intimate images, either to obtain more explicit material or extort money.
In financial sextortion cases, 92 per cent of victims were boys, with an average age of 15. According to Child Focus, boys have now become the largest group of victims supported by the organisation in cases of online sexual exploitation.
Cases of non-consensual sexting also continued to rise, with 296 new reports last year, up 30 per cent. In three-quarters of the cases, the victims were girls, with an average age of 14.
Calls for stronger legislation
Child Focus says the figures underline “the importance of a strong legislative framework”. The organisation is calling for stricter enforcement of the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which imposes rules on major technology companies, as well as progress on new European legislation targeting child sexual abuse material online.
The organisation also warned that images of child sexual abuse have become an unavoidable part of the online environment. Through its citizen reporting platform and the Arachnid detection tool, Child Focus processed and helped remove more than 731,000 abusive images last year.
The report also highlighted a rise in vulnerable children repeatedly running away from care facilities. Child Focus received 2,147 reports of missing children in 2025, a 19 per cent increase, involving 1,514 individual minors. According to the organisation, repeated disappearances are often linked to sexual exploitation.
The sexual exploitation of minors in prostitution also increased sharply. Child Focus received 151 reports in 2025, up 60 per cent from the previous year. In 61 per cent of cases, the victim was under 16, while three victims were younger than 13.
Victims and their families can contact Child Focus via the toll-free number 116 000, available 24/7.
© PHOTO EVARISTRO SA / AFP
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