More than 100 child rights organisations urge EU leaders to be ambitious and pass robust online safety legislation

BRUSSELS — More than 100 child rights organisations across Europe are calling on the European Union to prioritise children’s safety by adopting a comprehensive Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR), warning that further delays and half-hearted measures that fail to address the scale of the issue will leave millions of children at risk.

An open letter with 109 signatories, released in the lead-up to Safer Internet Day on February 10, urges EU policymakers to be brave in shaping the legislative framework to protect children from child sexual abuse and ensure a robust CSAR is swiftly adopted.

The letter, spearheaded by the European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG)* and signed by leading experts in child protection and child rights, says the EU has a critical opportunity to be a world leader in protecting children online, but continued inaction and lack of ambition means gaps in EU legislation continue to be exploited by perpetrators.

“Without strong laws,” the letter reads, “Europe will leave millions of children unprotected on online platforms and allow imagery of their abuse to circulate indefinitely online. For more than three years, EU leaders have debated the CSAR – a law designed to protect children from online sexual abuse. In that time, the Child Sexual Abuse Crisis has escalated dramatically: with reports of grooming, sexual extortion and AI-generated child abuse material rising exponentially.”

According to recently released data from the Internet Watch Foundation, 2025 was the worst year on record for online child sexual abuse material found by its analysts, with increasing levels of photo-realistic AI material contributing to the high levels. Last year, 3,440 AI videos of child sexual abuse were found, compared to only 13 in 2024, a more than 260-fold increase.

The letter points to research showing that more than three in five parents in Europe think that politicians and technology companies are not taking children’s online safety seriously enough, and that four in five EU citizens support measures requiring online service providers to detect, report and remove child sexual abuse online.

ECLAG spokesperson Hannah Swirsky, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the Internet Watch Foundation said: “Children have the right to not have their bodily privacy violated, abused and shared endlessly online. The CSAR is an essential step toward ensuring stronger protection for children against sexual abuse.

“Research shows that the public wants to see safeguards put in place to protect children from harm and the solution is within the grasp of EU policymakers. At this vital stage in negotiations for the CSAR we are calling on EU leaders to establish Europe as a global champion for children’s online safety and advance an effective, comprehensive and ambitious text. Europe has both the potential and responsibility to lead by example.”