Category Archives: Media Technology

We’ve intercepted 70 million people attempting to access sexual images of children with online warnings – Lucy Faithful Foundation

What if every time someone tried to access sexual images of children on the internet, they encountered a message designed to stop them from doing so?

We’ve partnered with online tech companies such as Google, Mega, Meta, and TikTok to implement warning messages on the world’s largest online platforms. Today we’re proud to launch our Impact Report for Project Intercept, which showcases what we’ve achieved. Over the past two years, warning messages on online platforms have been triggered more than 70 million times by users seeking sexual images of children online – more than 95,000 per day.

Almost 700,000 people who triggered the warnings clicked through for help to change their behaviour

These are sobering figures. Yet, viewed through a preventative lens, it is a significant success story – 70 million attempts to cause harm have been intercepted, and each user has been offered support to change their behaviour through our Stop It Now website, self-help modules, and anonymous helpline. That offer has been taken up almost 700,000 times, and where it has been, there has been strong engagement with our online self-help resources.

The warnings are triggered when people use search terms that indicate they are looking for sexual images of children (known as child sexual abuse material, or CSAM), or click links that have previously been reported as containing sexual images of children. Each month, an average of 28,000 users are redirected to the Stop It Now self-help resources.

Prevention is possible, so let’s scale warning messages on every online platform

As tens of millions of people have been reached through just 22 active warning messages, it’s clear that the potential to scale up is enormous. By placing more warnings across more online spaces, we can disrupt online child sexual abuse at the moment it’s happening and prevent countless children from being harmed.

Ben* sought support from the Stop It Now self-help modules after his searches on a pornography website triggered a warning message. “After I got the warning, I had a look around on Stop It Now”, he says. “I found the modules on addiction and pornography very helpful. About two months ago I gave up adult sites. I want to keep my mind occupied and more productive.”

This has never been more urgent, particularly as new AI technologies accelerate the spread of online child sexual abuse. Through Stop It Now, we hear every day from people who are concerned about the direction of their online behaviour, but who struggle to change without support.

We’re urging tech companies to partner with us to implement warning messages

OpenAI, Meta, TikTok, Mega, Stability AI, Civitai, BT, MovieStarPlanet, Bing, Google, Aylo, and OnlyFans are among the tech companies who have deployed warning messages. Our 22 warnings have been triggered by people in 131 different countries, and they are active in a range of sectors including file-sharing, search, social media, dating, pornography platforms, and even end-to-end encrypted and AI chatbot spaces.

Our partners don’t simply block harmful content; they offer a clear pathway to support and behaviour change.

Join us at our impact webinar

On 3 June 2026 we’re hosting a lunchtime webinar with Google and our funder Nominet with a Q&A panel to explore the findings in the report and discuss the possibilities of warning messages for deterrence in more detail.

What began as a question – can we interrupt harmful behaviour at the point of risk? – has resulted in a growing body of evidence, partnerships and real-world implementation. Find out more about Project Intercept here and start the conversation at intercept@lucyfaithfull.org.uk

*name altered for anonymity.

Part of a longer press release at https://www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk/weve-intercepted-70-million-people-attempting-to-access-sexual-images-of-children-with-online-warnings/

 

May 21, 2026

Women Remain Significantly Underrepresented in UK News Media, According to New National Report – Worcester University

Women remain significantly underrepresented in UK news media, with nearly twice as many men appearing in stories as women; a ratio that has barely changed in 30 years, according to a new national report.

The study, which analysed 570 news stories, more than 2,000 sources, and 708 reporters across the UK, found that women make up just 36% of all sources and subjects, an increase of only seven percent since 2020.

It also found that gender-based violence does not receive significant coverage in the news.

The report was co-led by Dr Barbara Mitra, Principal Lecturer in Media & Film Studies at the University of Worcester, (along with Dr Victoria Cann from the University of East Anglia) as part of the Global Media Monitoring Project, which tracks gender representation in news worldwide.

Dr Mitra said: “Gender equality is still treated as a peripheral issue, and women’s voices remain marginalised in hard news areas. Without deliberate interventions, these patterns risk becoming entrenched, perpetuating a media landscape that fails to reflect the diversity and complexity of society.”

The findings reveal that coverage of gender-based violence remains minimal, and women are still most often quoted in ordinary roles, such as eyewitnesses or providers of popular opinion, rather than as experts or authority figures. In sports news, women accounted for just 6% of coverage across print, radio and television.

The report urges media organisations to adopt gender-sensitive editorial policies and for digital platforms to promote serious stories featuring women beyond celebrity and entertainment.

It also calls for targeted regional strategies across the UK, alongside training and awareness programmes for journalists.

In addition, the report recommends the government develop policies to hold media organisations accountable on gender equality and that further research and education initiatives be prioritised to drive systemic change.

Dr Mitra said: “Progress is now happening, but it’s slow. For real change, we need systemic action from media organisations, policymakers and educators.”

  • You can view a copy of the report online.

https://www.worcester.ac.uk/about/news/2026-women-remain-significantly-underrepresented-in-uk-news-media-according-to-new-national-report

April 23, 2026

Dating apps and social media platforms must now prevent cyberflashing, as it becomes a priority offence under the Online Safety Act

From: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Home Office, The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP and Jess Phillips MP

  •    Online Safety Act strengthened as ‘cyberflashing’ becomes a priority offence
  • Dating apps and social media platforms now have to take proactive steps to prevent this vile content before users see it
  • New law follows a historic government strategy to halve Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) within a decade, which included a commitment to make cyberflashing a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act

People using dating apps and social media platforms will be better protected from receiving unsolicited nude images, as a new law compelling tech firms to stop this type of content before it reaches users comes into force today (Thursday 8 January).

Platforms will be required to take proactive steps to prevent this vile content from appearing in the first place, not just react after the harm is done. Tech firms will now face some of the strongest requirements under the Online Safety Act as ‘cyberflashing’ becomes a Priority Offence.

Companies could tackle these images for example by using automated systems that pre-emptively detect and hide the image, implementing moderation tools or stricter content policies.

Those that fail to comply could face fines of up to 10% of their qualifying worldwide revenue, or have their services blocked in the UK.

Bumble was the first dating app to explicitly moderate cyberflashing to protect its members from seeing unwanted pictures.

The women-first dating app launched Private Detector, an AI-powered feature that automatically detects and blurs nudity in images sent within chats. It then alerts the recipient who can choose to view, block, or report the image. The AI model is carefully trained with vast datasets to avoid misclassification.

Ofcom will now consult on new codes of practice, setting out exactly what steps platforms must take to protect users from unsolicited sexual images.

The priority offence marks another step in making the online world safer, particularly for women and children, who are disproportionately targeted. 1 in 3 teenage girls has received unsolicited sexual images*. This government is serious about ending that.

This builds on the government’s wider commitment to tackle online abuse and halve violence against women and girls, making clear that the digital world is not a law-free zone.

Through the cross-government strategy to Build a Safer Society for Women and Girls, published on 18 December, we committed to making the ‘cyberflashing’ offence a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act.

These strengthened protections will tackle the problem at the root, before women are subject to this gross violation.

  • The survey was carried out by YouGov between people aged 12–18-year-olds in England.

To read the full press release go to https://www.gov.uk/government/news/stronger-laws-for-tech-firms-to-ensure-you-dont-see-unsolicited-nudes

January 19, 2026