The Child Safety Crisis Hidden Behind Social Media’s Biggest Platforms

Millions of reports. Tens of millions of images and videos. Thousands of children identified.

Those numbers rarely make headlines, but they tell the story of one of the largest child protection challenges of the digital age.

According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), its CyberTipline received more than 21 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2025. The reports came from technology companies, electronic service providers, and members of the public who identified content or behaviour that may involve child sexual abuse, online enticement, trafficking, or sextortion.

The numbers reveal an uncomfortable reality. The platforms that help people connect, share, and communicate are also being used by offenders to exploit children.

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, generated the largest number of CyberTipline reports. Other major platforms, including Google, Snapchat, TikTok, Discord, and Microsoft, also submitted reports involving suspected child sexual exploitation. While a high number of reports can reflect a company’s detection efforts rather than the amount of illegal activity alone, the data underscores the enormous scale of the challenge facing both technology companies and child protection organizations.

One of the fastest-growing concerns is online enticement. NCMEC defines online enticement as situations where an adult communicates with a child online for sexual purposes. Many of these cases involve sextortion, where offenders persuade young people to share intimate images and then threaten, blackmail, or coerce them into providing more content or money.

For many families, these crimes remain invisible until it is too late.

This is why advocates continue to push for stronger protections online.

Among them is Paris Hilton, who has become one of the most recognizable voices speaking about the long-term impact of abuse on young people. Hilton first gained attention for exposing abuse she says she experienced as a teenager in residential treatment facilities. Her advocacy has since expanded into broader conversations about protecting vulnerable youth and strengthening accountability for institutions that fail them.

While Hilton’s work has focused primarily on institutional abuse, the underlying message is relevant to the digital world as well. Children often face harm in environments that adults assume are safe. Whether that environment is a treatment facility, a social media platform, a messaging app, or an online gaming community, the consequences can be profound when safeguards fail.

The CyberTipline data shows that child sexual exploitation is not confined to obscure corners of the internet. It is occurring on some of the world’s largest and most widely used digital platforms.

Technology companies have invested heavily in detection systems, reporting mechanisms, and safety tools. Yet the volume of reports suggests that enforcement alone is not enough. Child safety experts continue to call for stronger age verification, safer platform design, improved moderation, better parental education, and greater transparency from technology companies.

Parents also have a role to play. Understanding the apps their children use, discussing online risks openly, and creating an environment where young people feel safe reporting uncomfortable interactions remain some of the most effective protective measures available. DEFEND offers a parent workshop. More information here or become a member of our YouTube page (Click here.) to watch the whole workshop at your leisure. 

The latest CyberTipline numbers are a reminder that child protection is no longer just a family issue or a law enforcement issue. It is a technology issue, a public policy issue, and a societal issue.

Advocates such as Paris Hilton have helped keep the conversation in the public eye. The data shows why that conversation cannot afford to fade.

Primary Sources

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline Data (2025)

• NCMEC CyberTipline Data 2025 Report

• Contains the latest reporting statistics, platform reports, online enticement data, sextortion trends, and child sexual abuse material reporting.

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline Data (2024)

• NCMEC CyberTipline Data 2024 Report

• Provides historical comparisons and reporting trends from 2024.

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children CyberTipline Overview

• NCMEC CyberTipline Overview

• Explains how the CyberTipline works and provides additional reports and research resources.