Online child sexual exploitation threatens millions, study shows global crisis and Malaysia crackdown

A police operation in Malaysia uncovered 117 child sexual abuse offenders between 2024 and 2026, seizing 205,000 files of illegal material among more than 1.47 million digital files. Authorities raided 162 locations, charged 101 suspects and highlighted that 94 % of Malaysian youths aged 12‑17 use the internet, with an estimated 100,000 children potentially exposed to online sexual exploitation each year. The government plans stricter safeguards for users under 16, including age‑verification and parental‑supervision requirements.

A separate global study led by the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute in Scotland found that 27 % of children worldwide are groomed online, with 38.6 % of girls and 19 % of boys affected before adulthood. One in ten children face sextortion, and more than 300 million children experienced some form of online sexual exploitation in the past year, alongside 130 million cases of offline abuse. The research identified around 1,500 individuals in over 60 countries possessing “paedophile manuals” to evade detection. Presented at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, the report called the issue a worldwide health emergency and urged governments to treat online child sexual abuse as a public‑health priority.