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ICMEC Australia Media Release

AI now used in one in four cases of image-based child sexual abuse, first national study finds.

ICMEC Australia

New prevalence research lands as ICMEC Australia convenes the SaferAI for Children Coalition in person this week, underscoring the urgency of a coordinated national response to this issue. 

Research released today provides the first estimate of how often artificial intelligence is involved in the online sexual victimisation of Australian children and finds that AI has changed both how young people are harmed and how they seek help.  

At least one in 25 Australians has experienced, or has a close friend who has experienced, online sexual victimisation involving AI before the age of 18. That is at least one young person in every Australian Year 12 classroom. 

The study of 1,894 Australians aged 16 to 18, conducted in early 2026 by the Australian Cybercrime Observatory, is the first to measure the role of AI in this form of harm at a population level. ICMEC Australia, which convenes the SaferAI for Children Coalition, says the findings confirm that AI is no longer an emerging risk but a present reality in the lives of Australian children, and that the national response must keep pace. 

What the research found 

  • AI was involved in more than one in four cases of nonconsensual sharing of sexual images (26%). 

  • Boys are significantly more likely to be targeted when AI is involved (26.6% of boys' victimisation vs 9% of girls'), despite girls facing higher overall rates. 

  • Children now disclose more to AI chatbots than to authorities: 18.7% told an AI, compared with 13.2% who told a teacher, doctor, counsellor, police officer or helpline. 

  • More than a third of victims told no person at all, disclosing only to AI or to no one. 

  • Victimisation clusters within friendship groups, with around a one in three chance a close peer has experienced the same harm. 

 "There's been a seismic shift in how young people experience and seek help for online sexual victimisation. AI involvement in this abuse is worryingly common, and victims are now more likely to tell an AI than teachers, doctors, police or reporting services. We must adapt quickly to protect children." Associate Professor Tim Cubitt, Adelaide University. 

ICMEC Australia leads cross-sector advocacy on child protection, technology and AI safety, convening the SaferAI for Children Coalition, around 25 organisations across industry, law enforcement, civil society and research working to translate evidence into practical reform. 

The findings follow a year of major reform: the social media minimum age law took effect in December 2025, a Digital Duty of Care was committed to in April 2026, and government action is underway on AI "nudify" apps, alongside independent MP Kate Chaney's bill to criminalise CSAM-generating technologies. 

"This research confirms what frontline services and law enforcement have been warning about. AI is now shaping how children are harmed, and how they reach for help. The reforms of the past year matter, but the response has to move as fast as the technology. That means industry, government and services working together, not in isolation." Colm Gannon, Chief Executive Officer, ICMEC Australia. 

The research lands the same week the SaferAI for Children Coalition meets in Sydney on Wednesday 8 July 2026, reflecting both the pace of this issue and the sector's determination to stay ahead of it. 

The findings point to three priorities: reporting pathways that meet children where they already turn, including AI tools; prevention built for peer networks, given harm clusters within friendship groups; and prevention that reaches beyond traditional risk groups, given the disproportionate impact on boys when AI is involved. 

"This is a national problem outpacing the response designed to address it. Our sector has watched AI reshape how children experience harm and how they reach out for help, and we cannot meet that shift working in silos. It will take industry, government, law enforcement and the services children actually turn to moving together, at the same pace as the technology." Sonya Ryan, Founder and CEO, Carly Ryan Foundation 

---------ENDS-------------

 

Spokespeople available for Interview 

  • Colm Gannon, CEO, ICMEC Australia  

  • Tim Cubitt, Associate Professor, Adelaide University 

Note to editors

Responsible reporting: This release concerns child sexual exploitation and abuse. Please report in line with the National Office for Child Safety media guidelines, avoiding any detail or framing that could identify or distress victims. ICMEC Australia uses the term child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and asks that the term "child pornography" not be used. If you have concerns or information relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse, you can make a report or access help via the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) or Esafety.gov.au.  

About the research: Nationally representative survey of 1,894 Australians aged 16 to 18, conducted in March and April 2026. Estimates of AI involvement are described by the researchers as conservative.  

Note to media as per Australian Government advice   

Use of term 'CHILD ABUSE MATERIAL' not 'CHILD PORNOGRAPHY' 

The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims. 

Use of the phrase 'child pornography' is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it: 

  • indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and 

  • conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse. 

Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused. 


About us:

About ICMEC Australia

ICMEC Australia is a not-for-profit organisation working at the intersection of technology, industry, policy, and child protection to prevent and respond to child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). Through cross-sector collaboration, we strengthen safeguards, disrupt harm, and build coordinated systems that protect children. Our work is evidence-led and driven by a commitment to strengthening the professionals who detect, disrupt, and prevent CSEA. You can learn more about our work at icmec.org.au. 


Contact details:

Mikaela Jago | 0403872293 | [email protected]