A major factor in the overall increase remains the sharp rise in reports processed by SafeNet Bulgaria, which alone recorded over 1.6 million reports in the second quarter. This contributed to the overall growth in the volume of content that hotlines assessed and escalated. 

CSAM and related reports 

In the second quarter of 2025, hotlines flagged 55.66 per cent of all incoming reports as suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM). During the first half of the year, the network recorded well over two million CSAM-related reports in total. Within these reports, hotlines observed: 

• Several thousand cases of self-generated CSAM.
• Instances of sexualised posing and child modelling images.
• Almost 3,000 reports of computer-generated or virtual CSAM, such as manga or animations.
• Dozens of text-based CSAM reports. 

These figures demonstrate both the diversity of illegal material and the growing presence of computer-generated imagery, an area where detection and classification continue to improve. 

Hotlines also handled a wide range of other content types in the second quarter, including child nudity, grooming attempts, sextortion, adult pornography, hate speech and financial scams. As in previous quarters, a significant proportion of public submissions, more than 300,000 in the second quarter alone, were ultimately determined to be not illegal. This highlights the essential triage role hotlines play in distinguishing illegal content from material requiring no further action. 

Actions taken and distribution patterns 

In the second quarter, hotlines: 

• Forwarded more than 113,000 reports to law enforcement agencies.
• Referred over 28,000 reports to internet service providers for takedown.
• Uploaded nearly 1.65 million reports to ICCAM. 
  (ICCAM enables the secure exchange of illegal material portraying child sexual abuse between hotlines located in different jurisdictions, with the aim of quick removal from the internet – find out more about the tool here). 

Websites remain the primary medium for hosting CSAM, but hotlines continue to find illegal material across file hosting services, forums, gaming environments, and other less easily classified spaces. 

Trusted flaggers under the Digital Services Act 

The implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) continues to progress across the European Union, with increasing recognition of the role hotlines play in identifying and reporting illegal content online. A key milestone in this rollout has been the designation of trusted flaggers: entities granted priority flagging channels to online platforms. As of this quarter, 11 hotlines in the INHOPE network have been officially awarded trusted flagger status by their national Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs). 

These hotlines are now operating under the special provisions of the Digital Services Act, allowing them to flag content directly for swift removal and strengthening their role in creating a safer digital environment across Europe. 

Hotlines awarded trusted flagger status to date include: 

• Child Focus (Belgium)
• Save the Children Denmark (Denmark)
• Nettivihje (Finland)
• Point de Contact (France)
• SafeLine (Greece)
• NMHH (Hungary)
• Telefono Azzurro (Italy)
• Childwebalert (Malta)
• Meldpunt Kinderporno (Netherlands)
• Ora de Net (Romania)
• ECPAT (Sweden) 

Conclusion: meeting a growing challenge 

The first half of 2025 has seen both record volumes of reports and an increasingly complex threat landscape. Hotlines are responding with faster triage, stronger coordination, and improved tools such as ICCAM’s enhanced auto analysis feature. These collective efforts remain essential to protecting children and supporting public awareness across Europe.