Shocking new AFP figures demonstrate the urgent need for a digital duty of care to protect children
9 September 2025
International Justice Mission Australia is urging the Australian Government to continue its reforms to strengthen online safety by legislating a digital duty of care, following damning new figures from the Australian Federal Police.
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 urgent need for the Australian Government to follow through on their commitment to introducing a digital duty of care into the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth).
New figures reveal the ACCCE received 82,764 OCSE reports across 12 months, chiefly from the United States National Center for Missing and Exploited Children but also through members of the public and government agencies, such as the eSafety Commissioner.
This is compared to 58,503 reports in 2023/24, 40,232 in 2022/23 and 36,600 in 2021/22.
IJM Australia CEO David Braga said the figures are a poignant reminder of the need for stronger online safety laws that better protect children.
“These figures are truly shocking and show we need stronger action to protect children,” Mr Braga said.
“We are living in the digital age, which makes children more exposed and vulnerable to online sexual abuse. It is crucial that our laws are fit-for-purpose and cater for existing and emerging threats and challenges.
“We need to remember that every one of these reports is a potential crime. Many of these reports represent real children who have experienced the most egregious forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. These figures, and especially the ongoing escalation year-on-year show that the tech giants have a responsibility to ensure their platforms aren’t being misused for these illegal purposes.”
“We can’t keep solving this at an individual level – as a society, we need much better protections within the products themselves. Having a robust digital duty of care could hold tech companies accountable to ensure their products are incompatible with child sexual abuse material.”
“We congratulate the AFP for its successful law enforcement efforts, including in partnership with IJM, the Philippine National Police, the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation and other international law enforcement agencies to prevent and promote child safety, and these figures demonstrate just how crucial law enforcement is.”
“The Australian Government has told us they have an ongoing commitment to online safety, and we strongly urge them to demonstrate this by formally responding this year to the Rickard Review report’s recommendations and by legislating a robust digital duty of care.”
Media Contact: Briony Camp | [email protected] | 0468 308 696