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More than 70 million warnings sent to people seeking child abuse material
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More than 70 million warning messages have been sent to people attempting to access child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online over the past two years, the Lucy Faithfull Foundation says.
Key facts
- But it said engagement with the support material had been high, with an average of 28,000 users a month redirected in 2024 and 2025
- Given that 70 million warning messages have been sent, the fact that only 700,000 people click through to get support seems low
- Project Intercept is active in 131 countries and operates across a range of online spaces
- Griffin Hunt, a product manager at Google Search, said changes made in early 2025 had led to "greater engagement with therapeutic help services" and fewer follow-up searches for illegal material
Summary
The messages are sent as part of Project Intercept, a partnership between the child protection charity and technology firms including Google, TikTok and Meta. Rather than simply blocking content, the messages highlight the illegality of viewing CSAM and direct users to support services aimed at changing behaviour. The foundation said nearly 700,000 people went on to access its Stop It Now resources, which offer confidential advice and self-help tools - a figure some experts say is disappointingly low. "Given that 70 million warning messages have been sent, the fact that only 700,000 people click through to get support seems low.