MEETING WITH THE INTERNET WATCH FOUNDATION IN SUPPORT OF ONLINE CHILD PROTECTION

On Tuesday, 12 May, Javier Zarzalejos held a meeting at the European Parliament with Kerry Smith, CEO of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), to discuss the main challenges related to protecting children from online sexual abuse and the dissemination of illegal content on the internet.

During the meeting, participants reviewed the organisation’s latest annual report, which highlights a significant increase in child sexual abuse material detected online. Among the most alarming findings, the IWF confirmed more than 311,000 reports related to child sexual abuse material in 2025, as well as a more than 260-fold increase in AI-generated videos compared with the previous year. The report also warns that 97% of AI-generated child sexual abuse images depict girls, and that the production and distribution of such content is becoming increasingly professionalised and rapidly expanding through the use of new technological tools.

The two sides also exchanged views once again on the European regulation aimed at combating online child sexual abuse, for which Javier Zarzalejos serves as rapporteur in the European Parliament. Negotiations with the Council are currently ongoing. During the meeting, both parties stressed the need to move forward with effective legislation that strengthens the detection, removal, and prevention of such content, while ensuring the protection of children and delivering a coordinated response to a threat that is becoming increasingly sophisticated and global in scope.