What is online child sexual exploitation and abuse?
The internet gives children extraordinary opportunities to learn, connect, play and express themselves. But the same technologies can also be misused to facilitate sexual exploitation and abuse.
Protecting children online requires appropriate safeguards, effective company responses and collaboration across the technology industry.
The internet has changed what it means to be a child
Children participate in a digital ecosystem that crosses platforms, sectors and geographical borders. They use social media, messaging, gaming, livestreaming, file-sharing and other services as part of their everyday lives.
These technologies provide enormous benefits. They can also allow people seeking to harm children to make contact, distribute abusive material, conceal their identities and move between different services.
The internet did not create child sexual abuse. But its speed, scale and reach can amplify the risk and impact of abuse when effective safeguards are not in place.
In 2025, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 21.3 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation through its CyberTipline. These reports reflect suspected incidents identified and reported, rather than the total prevalence of abuse
Understanding online child sexual exploitation and abuse
Online child sexual exploitation and abuse, or OCSEA, describes sexual harm against children that is facilitated, enabled or amplified through digital technologies. It can take different forms and may move between online and offline environments. It includes the creation and distribution of child sexual abuse material, grooming, sexual extortion, livestreamed abuse and other forms of technology-facilitated exploitation.
Child sexual abuse materials (CSAM)
Child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, generally refers to images, videos or other visual material depicting the sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child.
The term recognizes that the material depicts or represents abuse. Unlike pornography involving consenting adults, children cannot consent to their sexual abuse or to the creation and distribution of material documenting it.
Precise legal definitions and reporting requirements vary between jurisdictions.
Online grooming
Grooming describes tactics used to build trust, establish influence or manipulate a child for the purpose of sexual abuse or exploitation.
It can occur through social media, messaging, gaming, livestreaming and other digital services. It may involve sexualized conversations, requests for imagery, coercion, threats or efforts to arrange contact offline.
Sexual extortion
Sexual extortion (sometimes referred to as sextortion) occurs when someone threatens to share sexual or intimate material—or claims to possess such material—to coerce a child into providing money, additional imagery or complying with other demands.
Fast evolving technology enables offenders to contact increasingly large numbers of potential victims, conceal their identities and rapidly distribute material across services.
Livestreamed abuse
Livestreaming technology can be misused to facilitate or broadcast child sexual abuse in real time. Abuse may be directed remotely by another person or involve the coercion of a child into producing sexual content through a livestreaming service.
AI-generated and AI-enabled abuse
Generative AI can be misused to create or alter sexually abusive depictions of children, including synthetic material and content based on identifiable victims.
AI may also enable other forms of exploitation, including grooming, coercion, sexual extortion and the manipulation of existing images. These all present serious child safety risks, whether or not particular content meets the legal definition of CSAM in the relevant jurisdiction.
How technology can amplify risk
Many of the characteristics that make online services valuable can also be exploited by people seeking to harm children.
Speed and scale
Digital services can enable content or communications to reach large numbers of people almost instantly.
Duplication and persistence
Once abusive material has been shared, it can be copied, altered and redistributed repeatedly. Each redistribution can compound the harm experienced by victims and survivors.
Global reach
Online services allow people to communicate and exchange content across geographical and jurisdictional boundaries.
Anonymity and concealment
Privacy and anonymity have many legitimate uses, but they can also be exploited to conceal abusive behavior, identities and networks.
Cross-platform movement
Offenders may move between services, create multiple accounts or use different platforms for discovery, communication, payment and content exchange. Action by one company may therefore displace activity rather than stop it completely.
What role do technology companies play?
Companies can take action throughout the lifecycle of their products and services.
Prevent
Companies can assess risks, incorporate safety by design, establish appropriate policies and controls, and make it more difficult for their services to be misused.
Detect
Companies may use a combination of user reports, trained teams, behavioral signals and technical systems to identify abusive content and activity, subject to applicable legal and privacy requirements.
Respond and report
Companies can remove violations, disrupt abusive accounts and networks, preserve relevant information and make reports to the appropriate authorities.
The most appropriate safeguards will depend on a company’s products, users, risk profile, technologies, and operating regions and their legal frameworks.
Explore our Child safety best practices and Developer good practices.
Industry collaboration
Why industry collaboration matters
Online abuse does not remain within one service or sector. Offenders may move between platforms, adapt their tactics and exploit differences in company safeguards.
Collaboration enables companies to share expertise, identify emerging threats, develop common approaches and strengthen protections across the digital ecosystem.
The Tech Coalition provides trusted spaces for companies to collaborate, practical resources to support effective child safety programs and initiatives such as Lantern, which enables participating companies to securely share signals about cross-platform threats.
Questions about online child sexual exploitation and abuse
What does OCSEA mean?
OCSEA stands for online child sexual exploitation and abuse. It describes sexual harm against children that is facilitated, enabled or amplified through internet services and other digital technologies.
What is CSAM?
CSAM stands for child sexual abuse material. It generally refers to images, videos or other visual material depicting the sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child. Exact legal definitions differ between jurisdictions.
Why is the term CSAM used instead of “child pornography”?
The term child sexual abuse material makes clear that the content depicts or represents abuse and exploitation. Children cannot consent to sexual abuse or to the creation and distribution of material documenting it.
Is CSAM the same as OCSEA?
No. CSAM is one form of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. OCSEA is broader and also includes harms such as grooming, sexual extortion, livestreamed abuse and other technology-facilitated exploitation.
Does CSAM include AI-generated material?
Laws differ between jurisdictions. Some legal definitions cover certain computer-generated or synthetic depictions, while others apply different tests. Regardless of its precise legal classification, AI-generated abusive material can normalize exploitation, depict identifiable children, revictimize survivors and create significant operational and child safety risks.
Is sexual extortion a form of OCSEA?
Yes. Sexual extortion involves threats or coercion connected to sexual or intimate material. A child may be pressured to provide money, produce additional imagery or comply with other demands.
How do technology companies combat OCSEA?
Companies can assess and reduce product risks, design appropriate safeguards, establish and enforce policies, detect abusive content and behavior, respond to reports, remove violations and make legally required reports to the relevant authorities.
Why do technology companies need to collaborate?
Offenders and abusive activity can move between services. Collaboration helps companies identify shared threats, learn from one another, coordinate responses and develop protections that are more effective across the wider digital ecosystem.
Can suspected CSAM be reported to the Tech Coalition?
No. The Tech Coalition is not a public reporting hotline or law-enforcement agency.
If you encounter suspected CSAM, do not download, save or redistribute it. Report it through the relevant platform and the appropriate national hotline or authority. The INHOPE network can help you find a reporting service in your country. Reports in the United States can be made through NCMEC’s CyberTipline.