For years, child sexual abuse images and videos lurked in the internet’s darkest, most inaccessible corners. Today, that grim reality is shifting dramatically. Commercial websites openly hosting this abhorrent content are proliferating across the open web, no longer hidden behind encrypted doors.
Commercial Child Abuse Sites Double in a Year
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the organization dedicated to eradicating child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online, reports a startling surge: the number of commercial CSAM sites has doubled just in the past year. Some cleverly disguise themselves behind innocent-looking fronts. Others lie exposed, just a few clicks from your social media feeds.
These criminals aren’t peddling a handful of illicit videos. They’re pushing massive troves—terabytes—of the worst category of abuse, known as ‘category A,’ which law enforcement designates as the most severe. To fuel growth, they’ve adopted aggressive marketing tactics, including “refer-a-friend” programs that incentivize users to spread links across social platforms, amplifying their reach exponentially.
“This is a new tactic,” explains Mabel, an anonymous IWF analyst and grandmother. “We never saw this before—the criminals encouraging users to share links openly on social media to attract more viewers.”
Ordinary People Are Stumbling Upon Horrific Content
Mabel’s concerns run deep. She fears innocent children, including her own grandchildren, might unknowingly encounter these sites through their social feeds and click, unaware of the danger lurking behind the links.
What troubles experts further is that nearly every “refer-a-friend” scheme reported to the IWF comes from concerned members of the public, not trained analysts. This signals that average internet users are increasingly exposed to this extreme abuse material, a harrowing shift from the past.
“I know what to expect when I come to work,” Mabel says. “But imagine turning on your phone or computer and within a few clicks, seeing the worst category A abuse. It’s impossible to unsee.”
The Mental Toll on Moderators and the Rise of AI
Tech giants and social media platforms have recognized the devastating psychological impact on their moderators, who routinely confront CSAM, extreme violence, and death. In one high-profile case, over 140 Meta moderators were diagnosed with severe PTSD and pursued legal action against the company.
Other platforms, including TikTok, face similar lawsuits over their treatment of content moderators. As a result, many companies increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to filter out extreme content, aiming to shield human workers from trauma.
Even the Metropolitan Police recently announced plans to explore AI as a tool to analyze vast volumes of CSAM, allowing officers to concentrate human expertise where it matters most.
Humans Remain Irreplaceable in the Fight Against CSAM
Despite technological advances, the IWF confronts an ever-growing flood of abuse material, with a 6% increase in CSAM detected online over the past year. Kerry Smith, IWF’s CEO, stresses that AI tools serve only as supplements—not replacements—for human intelligence.
“Our analysts bring an ‘offline understanding’ of how abuse unfolds,” Smith explains. “They know how to spot subtle indicators within images and videos that help identify victims and perpetrators.”
She emphasizes the immense value of human insight, supported by mandatory counseling, rigorous recruitment, and continuous psychological care to sustain the analysts’ resilience.
“Artificial intelligence is a powerful weapon in preventing online child sexual abuse and exploitation, but it cannot replace the nuanced judgment and experience of our human analysts,” Smith concludes.
