The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) recorded a 41 per cent jump in reports of online child sexual exploitation (OCSE) in the 2024/2025 financial year, underscoring the critical role the community has to play in tackling this criminal scourge.
New figures released ahead of Child Protection Week (7-13 September) reveal the ACCCE received 82,764 OCSE reports across the 12 months, chiefly from the United States National Center for Missing and Exploited Children but also through members of the public and government agencies.
This compared to 58,503 reports in 2023/24, 40,232 in 2022/23 and 36,600 in 2021/22.
AFP Commander Human Exploitation Helen Schneider said the figures reflected the global threat of this horrific crime type, driving home the critical need for a whole-of-community response.
"The 41 per cent rise in reports of online child sexual exploitation is hugely confronting, as it represents acts of unspeakable horror and trauma that involve Australians as both victims and offenders," Commander Schneider said.
"These acts range from the creation, distribution and consumption of child abuse material through to the livestreaming of child sexual abuse overseas.
"Our team is relentless and committed in response, from the specialists who spend their days trawling through the worst kind of imagery and footage to identify and save victims to our operational teams and law-enforcement partners who help identify offenders and bring them to justice.
"But it's simply not something police can tackle alone, making it essential for parents, carers and the wider community to take an active role in protecting our vulnerable young people."
With online child sexual exploitation serving as the umbrella term for behaviours ranging from sextortion to online grooming, the ACCCE takes a multi-faceted approach to tackling the issue, which draws on technology to access victims globally.
This includes partnering with the finance sector to disrupt activities and accounts that funnel money back to the criminal networks involved in OCSE and working with social media platforms to access and deliver education to at-risk young people.
Awareness campaigns are also key, with the ACCCE supporting delivery of more than 2500 education presentations to students, parents, carers and teachers last financial year.
"We have worked relentlessly to bolster awareness of how to submit a report, encouraged parents and carers to stay vigilant about online activity and empowered children to feel more comfortable speaking to adults about what they do online, and also to tell someone they trust if something goes wrong," Commander Schneider said.
"This means Australians have never been more aware of online child sexual exploitation - and more willing to report it," she said. "But we can't take our foot off the accelerator in amplifying the importance of the community's role."
This included being mindful of all material posted online.
"It's a natural impulse for parents and carers to want to celebrate and share their children's lives, but it's important to think about where this material could end up and what could be done with it," Commander Schneider said.
"Our message is: take a minute to think before hitting publish, and also be mindful of factors such as who has access to your posts and videos."
More advice and support on protecting children online can be found at the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation. Here are its five top tips:
Have open conversations, often. Have open dialogue with your children about their online activities and interactions.
Supervision. Know what your children are doing online, who they are interacting with and what platforms, apps or games they are using.
Be approachable. Coming forward isn't easy and your child can be reluctant to share online issues if they believe they will be punished or have their devices taken away. This can make a child secretive about device use and at greater risk of exploitation.
Check privacy settings. Research and understand the settings of programs, apps or games used by your child. This could include turning off location settings, changing their profile to private or turning off chat functions.
Know how to report. If something does go wrong online, it is critical your child is supported. Be aware of how to take action and remind your child they are not in trouble.
