More than 70 million warning messages have been issued over the past two years to people attempting to access child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online, according to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.
The warnings were sent through Project Intercept, a partnership between the charity and major technology companies.
Rather than only blocking illegal content, the initiative delivers warning messages explaining that accessing child abuse material is unlawful and directs users to support services aimed at changing harmful behaviour.
The foundation said nearly 700,000 people subsequently accessed its “Stop It Now” resources, which provide confidential advice and self-help tools. However, some experts argued that the number remains low compared to the scale of the issue.
Professor Sonia Livingstone from the London School of Economics said the figures demonstrate both the growing scale of online child exploitation and the challenge of encouraging offenders to seek help. She noted, however, that most users who accessed the support services continued engaging with the material provided.
The programme also addresses risks linked to end-to-end encrypted platforms and AI chatbot services, where harmful material can be more difficult to detect.
According to the foundation, an average of 28,000 users per month were redirected to support resources during 2024 and 2025, with more than four out of five continuing to interact with the content.
Lucy Faithfull Foundation chief executive Deborah Denis said the strategy aims to intervene at the moment harmful behaviour occurs and redirect users toward professional help.
Children’s charity NSPCC welcomed the intervention strategy but stressed that stronger action is still needed to prevent child abuse material from being created and shared online in the first place.
Meanwhile, Ofcom said warning systems such as these form part of expectations under the UK’s Online Safety Act, while internet safety experts continued to call for stronger “safety by design” measures across digital platforms.
