A disturbing new investigation has exposed how online predator networks allegedly exploit gaming platforms, encrypted chat rooms, and social media to manipulate and groom children. Experts warn that these digital ecosystems rely on psychological coercion, fear, and blackmail, making them one of the internet's most dangerous hidden threats. Here's what parents need to know about the growing global concern over online child exploitation.

The Internet’s Darkest Secret: Inside the global network exploiting children online

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used at alarming levels for generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with analysts saying that it has reached a tipping point.

The watchdog group Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said that the creation and distribution of AI-generated CSAM are becoming increasingly sophisticated too.&nbsp;

Unlike in the past, these images and videos are finding their way into public online platforms&nbsp;as opposed to the Dark Web, the internet underbelly accessible only through special browsers like Tor.

Watch: US Prosecutors Intensify Action Against AI-Generated Child Abuse Images

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The increasing photorealism of AI-generated visuals is making it difficult for authorities and watchdog agencies to figure out if these are images of a real child needing help, a situation described by an IWF analyst as a 'tipping point'.

What set alarm bells ringing is that just within the past six months, the number of instances of reported AI-generated child sex abuse imagery crossed what it was in the whole previous year.

In this period, the IWF acted on 74 reports of such content, a sharp rise from 70 in all the 12 months prior.&nbsp;

What's more disturbing is that the AI tools creating these images are trained on real victims' content, complicating efforts to identify genuine cases needing intervention, according to Derek Ray-Hill, the IWF interim chief executive.

“Recent months show that this problem is not going away and is in fact getting worse,” The Guardian newspaper quoted him as saying.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/un-report-exposes-extreme-levels-of-child-abuse-in-armed-conflicts-especially-in-gaza-and-sudan-730923">Also read: UN report exposes 'extreme levels' of child abuse in armed conflicts, especially in Gaza and Sudan</a> 
 
The abuse content ranges from real-looking deepfake videos to altered inappropriate images of clothed children.

More than half of the flagged material is hosted on servers in Russia and the United States, besides Japan and the Netherlands, according to IWF.

The disturbing news comes amid increasing criticism of social media apps over offering safe haven to abusers, and sextortion.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-york-catholic-diocese-to-pay-323mn-to-530-child-sex-abuse-survivors-in-largest-diocese-bankruptcy-762507">Also read: New York Catholic diocese to pay $323mn to 530 child sex abuse survivors, in largest US diocese bankruptcy</a> 
 
Users on platforms like Instagram are being blackmailed after being tricked into sharing intimate images, according to the Guardian report.

The image-sharing platform owned by Meta is reportedly launching measures to combat such crimes. 
 
It will automatically blur nude images sent via direct messages and caution users about opening them. They will also have the option to block or report senders of such images.

The feature will be enabled by default for teenage accounts while adults can opt in to join.

(With inputs from agencies)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used at alarming levels for generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with analysts saying that it has reached a tipping point.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used at alarming levels for generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with analysts saying that it has reached a tipping point. The watchdog group Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said that the creation and distribution of AI-generated CSAM are becoming increasingly sophisticated too. Unlike in the past, these images and videos are finding their way into public online platforms as opposed to the Dark Web, the internet underbelly accessible only through special browsers like Tor. Watch: US Prosecutors Intensify Action Against AI-Generated Child Abuse Images × The increasing photorealism of AI-generated visuals is making it difficult for authorities and watchdog agencies to figure out if these are images of a real child needing help, a situation described by an IWF analyst as a 'tipping point'. What set alarm bells ringing is that just within the past six months, the number of instances of reported AI-generated child sex abuse imagery crossed what it was in the whole previous year. In this period, the IWF acted on 74 reports of such content, a sharp rise from 70 in all the 12 months prior. What's more disturbing is that the AI tools creating these images are trained on real victims' content, complicating efforts to identify genuine cases needing intervention, according to Derek Ray-Hill, the IWF interim chief executive. “Recent months show that this problem is not going away and is in fact getting worse,” The Guardian newspaper quoted him as saying. Also read: UN report exposes 'extreme levels' of child abuse in armed conflicts, especially in Gaza and Sudan The abuse content ranges from real-looking deepfake videos to altered inappropriate images of clothed children. More than half of the flagged material is hosted on servers in Russia and the United States, besides Japan and the Netherlands, according to IWF. The disturbing news comes amid increasing criticism of social media apps over offering safe haven to abusers, and sextortion. Also read: New York Catholic diocese to pay $323mn to 530 child sex abuse survivors, in largest US diocese bankruptcy Users on platforms like Instagram are being blackmailed after being tricked into sharing intimate images, according to the Guardian report. The image-sharing platform owned by Meta is reportedly launching measures to combat such crimes. It will automatically blur nude images sent via direct messages and caution users about opening them. They will also have the option to block or report senders of such images. The feature will be enabled by default for teenage accounts while adults can opt in to join. (With inputs from agencies)

AI-generated child sex abuse images, videos rising at alarming levels, warn internet watchdogs

The European Union (EU) on Thursday (May 16) started a formal investigation into Facebook and Instagram on allegations that the Meta-owned platforms are leading to addictive behaviour in children.

The European Union (EU) on Thursday (May 16) started a formal investigation into Facebook and Instagram on allegations that the Meta-owned platforms are leading to addictive behaviour in children. The investigation is being carried out under a mammoth law called the Digital Services Act (DSA) which forces the largest tech firms in the world to take more steps to protect European users online and remove any illegal content. This is the second investigation which has been launched into Meta. Last month, another probe was launched by the European Union over concerns that Facebook and Instagram are not countering disinformation. Also Read: EU flexes arms as it launches probe against Meta over disinformation concerns "We are not convinced that it has done enough to comply with the DSA obligations to mitigate the risks of negative effects to the physical and mental health of young Europeans," said EU's internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton. "We are sparing no effort to protect our children," he stated. Meanwhile, Meta's spokesperson tried to defend the company and claimed that it had taken steps to protect young users. "We want young people to have safe, age-appropriate experiences online and have spent a decade developing more than 50 tools and policies designed to protect them," said the spokesperson. "This is a challenge the whole industry is facing, and we look forward to sharing details of our work with the European Commission," the spokesperson added. EU suspects Meta's systems 'may stimulate behavioural addictions in children' The European Commission, which is the tech regulator of the European Union, in Thursday's (May 16) announcement said that it suspected the systems of the platform "may stimulate behavioural addictions in children". The commission also raised another issue which was the so-called "rabbit hole" effect. This happens when users get related content based on an algorithm, which in a few cases leads to more extreme content. The commission also expressed concern that the age-verification tools of Meta may not be that effective. According to DSA, there are strict rules for protecting children and ensuring that their privacy and security are not hampered online. The EU fears that Meta may not be taking enough steps to meet these obligations. Watch: Meta's oversight board probes handling of AI-generated explicit images In a statement, the European Union said that the "opening of formal proceedings does not prejudge its outcome". No deadline has been set for the completion of the probe. The DSA is present within the powerful legal armoury of the European Union to keep a check on big tech companies. Facebook and Instagram fall among 23 "very large" online platforms which need to comply with the DSA or face the risk of fines which can be as high as six per cent of the total global turnover of the platform. It can also impose a ban on social media platforms for serious and repeated violations. Other social media platforms which have been under the scrutiny of DSA are Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. (With inputs from agencies)

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Environmental disasters linked to climate change are threatening the lives and futures of over 19 million children in Bangladesh, including prompting many families to push their daughters into child marriages, UNICEF said Friday.

"Climate change is deepening the environmental threat faced by families in Bangladesh's poorest communities, leaving them unable to keep their children properly housed, fed, healthy and educated," the UN children's agency said in a report.

"In Bangladesh and around the world, climate change has the potential to reverse many of the gains that countries have achieved in child survival and development."

Around 12 million of the children most affected live in and around the powerful river systems which flow through Bangladesh and regularly burst their banks, the report said.

Another 4.5 million children live in coastal areas regularly struck by powerful cyclones, including almost half a million Rohingya refugee children from neighbouring Myanmar living in fragile bamboo and plastic shelters.

A further three million children live further inland, where farming communities suffer increasing periods of drought.

Bangladesh’s flat topography, dense population and weak infrastructure have long made it vulnerable to extreme weather events, but experts say that these have become more frequent in recent years as global temperatures have risen.

In 2007, a powerful cyclone killed nearly 4000 people and affected hundreds of thousands more. The most recent major flooding of the Brahmaputra River in 2017 inundated at least 480 community health clinics and damaged some 50,000 tube wells, essential for meeting communities’ safe water needs.

The report says that climate change is a key factor pushing poorer Bangladeshis to head to the capital Dhaka and other major cities, where children risk being pushed into dangerous forms of labour and early marriage.&nbsp;

It cites research showing that Bangladesh has six million climate migrants already, a number that could more than double by 2050.

The connection between climate change and child marriage, child labour and access to education is evident in various parts of Bangladesh, according to the report.

"Climate change makes people poorer," said Gyas Uddin, a specialist on child protection issues, "and poverty is a major factor behind child marriage".

Despite making impressive gains in many social indicators in recent decades, child marriage remains rampant in conservative, Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Bangladesh currently has one of the world's highest rates of child marriage with nearly a third of girls being married before the age of 15.&nbsp;

According to UNICEF Bangladesh Child Protection Specialist Kristina Wesslund, climate change is one reason why an estimated 3.45 million Bangladeshi children are involved in child labour.&nbsp;

"Climate change is undoubtedly increasing the number of children who are pushed into the workplace, where they miss out on an education and are terribly exposed to violence and abuse," Wesslund said.

Environmental disasters linked to climate change are threatening the lives and futures of over 19 million children in Bangladesh, including prompting many families to push their daughters into child marriages, UNICEF said Friday.

Environmental disasters linked to climate change are threatening the lives and futures of over 19 million children in Bangladesh, including prompting many families to push their daughters into child marriages, UNICEF said Friday. "Climate change is deepening the environmental threat faced by families in Bangladesh's poorest communities, leaving them unable to keep their children properly housed, fed, healthy and educated," the UN children's agency said in a report. "In Bangladesh and around the world, climate change has the potential to reverse many of the gains that countries have achieved in child survival and development." Around 12 million of the children most affected live in and around the powerful river systems which flow through Bangladesh and regularly burst their banks, the report said. Another 4.5 million children live in coastal areas regularly struck by powerful cyclones, including almost half a million Rohingya refugee children from neighbouring Myanmar living in fragile bamboo and plastic shelters. A further three million children live further inland, where farming communities suffer increasing periods of drought. Bangladesh’s flat topography, dense population and weak infrastructure have long made it vulnerable to extreme weather events, but experts say that these have become more frequent in recent years as global temperatures have risen. In 2007, a powerful cyclone killed nearly 4000 people and affected hundreds of thousands more. The most recent major flooding of the Brahmaputra River in 2017 inundated at least 480 community health clinics and damaged some 50,000 tube wells, essential for meeting communities’ safe water needs. The report says that climate change is a key factor pushing poorer Bangladeshis to head to the capital Dhaka and other major cities, where children risk being pushed into dangerous forms of labour and early marriage. It cites research showing that Bangladesh has six million climate migrants already, a number that could more than double by 2050. The connection between climate change and child marriage, child labour and access to education is evident in various parts of Bangladesh, according to the report. "Climate change makes people poorer," said Gyas Uddin, a specialist on child protection issues, "and poverty is a major factor behind child marriage". Despite making impressive gains in many social indicators in recent decades, child marriage remains rampant in conservative, Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Bangladesh currently has one of the world's highest rates of child marriage with nearly a third of girls being married before the age of 15. According to UNICEF Bangladesh Child Protection Specialist Kristina Wesslund, climate change is one reason why an estimated 3.45 million Bangladeshi children are involved in child labour. "Climate change is undoubtedly increasing the number of children who are pushed into the workplace, where they miss out on an education and are terribly exposed to violence and abuse," Wesslund said.

Climate change blights children's lives in Bangladesh

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