Reports of 'self-generated' child sexual abuse material online up 166%

James Cox

There was a big increase last year in "self-generated" child sexual abuse material (CSAM) appearing online, according to a new report.

The Irish Internet Hotline (IIH) said these are images or videos that children appeared to have taken themselves. There was a 166 per cent increase in these images identified by analysts.

The IIH said the term "self-generated" does not imply consent, intent, blame or awareness of the consequences.

It is used by analysts to describe the apparent origin of the material, rather than the circumstances in which it was created.

IIH processed 44,955 reports of CSAM in 2024, up from the 29,197 reports handled the previous year.

This included 11,505 reports involving self-generated CSAM, a 166% increase from 4,322 reports in 2023.

"The online realities reflect the society we live in, and we must face the troubling parts of that in a systematic and collaborative way," Irish Internet Hotline CEO Mick Moran said.

"There is no silver bullet, no panacea, just hard, and sometimes gruelling work," he added.

Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said: "It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the figures, but crucial to recognise that behind these statistics are real people - and often children - who have suffered harm and have been victimised."