AI to blame for one in four cases of image-based child sexual abuse
Artificial intelligence is now used in as many as one-in-four cases of image-based child sexual abuse, a damning new study has found.
Research from ICMEC Australia has revealed that 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.
One in 25 Aussies have experienced, or have a close friend who has experienced, AI image based abuse by the age of 18. iStock
That’s equivalent to about one student in every Year 12 classroom.
ICMEC Australia’s first national study surveyed nearly 1900 Australians aged 16 to 18 (much younger children have also been victims of AI sexual abuse).
Girls face higher overall rates of non-consensual sharing of sexual images, but boys are nearly three times more likely to be targeted when AI is involved.
Have you been affected by AI image-based sexual abuse? We want to hear your story. Contact reporter Maddison Skipper at mskipper@nine.com.au
Children are also more likely to disclose that they’ve been the victim of image-based child sexual abuse to an AI chatbot than authorities.
Nearly 20 per cent told AI they’d been targeted.
Just over 13 per cent told a teacher, doctor, counsellor, police officer or helpline.
More than a third of victims didn’t tell a single human.
“This research confirms what frontline services and law enforcement have been warning about,” ICMEC Australia chief executive Colm Gannon said in a statement today.
“AI is now shaping how children are harmed, and how they reach for help.”
That may not come as a surprise to Aussies who have been keeping up with recent news headlines.
Earlier this year, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok allowed sexualised images of children to be generated without their consent, and Australia’s internet watchdog had to launch a major crackdown on an AI “nudifying” service available to kids.
Recent reforms like the introduction of the world first under-16 social media ban and government action on have been a step in the right direction.
In late 2025, eSafety action forced three widely used AI “nudify” apps to withdraw from the Australian market after they were used to generate child sexual exploitation material in schools.
The government has been cracking down on 'nudify' services used to create explicit images of children. Moment RF/Getty Images
The SaferAI for Children Coalition is also meeting in Sydney tomorrow to discuss how to better protect children from AI-enabled harm.
But Gannon said more needs to be done to curb the rate of AI image-based child sexual abuse.
“The response has to move as fast as the technology. That means industry, government and services working together, not in isolation.”
You can report image-based abuse to eSafety here. If you’re experiencing image-based abuse as part of an abusive relationship, contact 1800RESPECT for support.
If you’re in immediate danger or at risk of harm, call Triple Zero (000).
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