Reports of 'self-generated' child sexual abuse material online up 166% last year

The Journal

09-07-2025

THERE WAS A 55% increase in the level of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) reported to Ireland's national centre for combating illegal content online last year.
According to the Irish Internet Hotline's
annual report
, it processed 44,955 reports of CSAM in 2024, up from the 29,197 reports handled the previous year.
This included 11,505 reports involving self-generated CSAM, a 166% increase from 4,322 reports in 2023.
These are images or videos that children appear to have taken themselves, typically using smartphone cameras or webcams, and often as a result of grooming or coercion.
The term 'self-generated' does not apportion blame to the child who has been sexually exploited, and only indicates that an analyst has identified the material as most likely being created by the child.
The IIH said self-generated content was the 'dominant form' of CSAM it identified last year, representing 'a fundamental shift requiring targeted prevention and education'.
Forums were found to be the primary distribution channel of CSAM, making removal more complex due to their structure and the rapid restoration of content that is removed.
Overall, the IIH received 53,441 reports in 2024, a 32% increase on the previous year.
Of those reports, 85% were found to relate to illegal material.
The IIH said that of the 20,647 CSAM reports where age could be clearly determined, 56% depicted children aged 4 to 12, while 43% depicted children aged 13 to 16.
It said that 92% of the victims depicted were girls, 5% were boys and 3% of the material depicted both girls and boys.
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The centre reported a 97% overall removal rate, with 99.6% of assessed CSAM removed at source.
There were 519 reports of intimate image abuse in 2024, a decline compared with 2023. The IIH said this may be the result of early positive impact from awareness campaigns.
Of the 241 reports involving confirmed sharing of intimate images, 234 cases involved publicly accessible content, while 20 cases involved sharing through encrypted or private communication channels.
The IIH secured a 93% removal rate for publicly accessible intimate images. It referred 161 cases to Gardaí at the reporter's request.
The centre received 908 reports of racism and xenophobia last year, a 600% increase on the previous year.
Of those, 88% involved concerning content found exclusively on Twitter/X that was misidentified as hate speech, but was religious or occult-themed discussion, which the report states is not inherently illegal under Irish law.
Some 11% contained potentially harmful content related to hate speech or similar material that violated platform policies, but did not meet the legal threshold for racism or xenophobia under Irish legislation.
Just three cases contained content determined to be potentially illegal under Irish Law. These were forwarded to Gardaí.
Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said many of the findings in the report 'make for worrying and stark reading'.
'It's easy to get overwhelmed by the figures, but crucial to recognise that behind these statistics are real people – and often children – who have suffered harm and have been victimised,' he said.
'Acknowledging that fact underscores the urgency and importance of our work in this space.'
He said the government is 'firmly committed to making online safety a priority in our increasingly digital world'.
'While advances in technology have given rise to new and sophisticated methods of committing crimes online, we will not be found wanting in our responses – including our work with Hotline.ie – to adapt and enhance how we protect and support vulnerable victims.'
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