In 2025, new data show, the volume of child pornography online was likely larger than at any other point in history. A record 312,030 reports of confirmed child pornography were investigated last year by the Internet Watch Foundation, a U.K.-based organization that works around the globe to identify and remove such material from the web.

This is concerning in and of itself. It means that the overall volume of child porn detected on the internet grew by 7 percent since 2024, when the previous record had been set. But also alarming is the tremendous increase in child porn, and in particular videos, generated by AI. At first blush, the proliferation of AI-generated depictions of child sexual abuse may leave the misimpression that no children were harmed. This is not the case. AI-generated, abusive images and videos feature and victimize real children—either because models were trained on existing child porn, or because AI was used to manipulate real photos and videos.

Today, the IWF reported that it found 3,440 AI-generated videos of child sex abuse in 2025; the year before, it found just 13. Social media, encrypted messaging, and dark-web forums have been fueling a steady rise in child-sexual-abuse material for years, and now generative AI has dramatically exacerbated the problem. Another awful record will very likely be set in 2026.