As part of Safer Internet Day 2026, IPPPRI Director Prof Sam Lundrigan discusses the institute's recent research on the topic of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, and shares her advice on talking to young people about internet safety.
www.aru.ac.uk/internationa...

UK study to examine effects of restricting social media for children Trial involving 4,000 children will explore impact on mental health, sleep and time spent with friends and family

Trial involving 4,000 children will explore impact on mental health, sleep and time spent with friends and family.
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/j...

Delighted to welcome people from around Europe (and beyond!) to CirclesEurope's mini-Conference today, with the theme, 'Meeting the Individual and Complex Needs of Core Members through Adaptations of the CoSA Methodology', including presentations by Circles South West and from Canada.

This week, we were privileged to welcome actor, writer + comedian Mark O’Sullivan to present at the annual residential forum of Circles Provider Coordinators, sharing his story and why he's made the decision to support organisations such as ours.
Read more on Mark's presentation tinyurl.com/463hanaz

We are delighted that Emma Tuschick has agreed to join Circles UK's Board of Trustees:
circles-uk.org.uk/about/#trust...

New rules on police requesting counselling notes come into force Victims to be given more privacy with new rules blocking police from requesting counselling notes during investigations unless in exceptional circumstances.

Circles UK welcomes the new rules that come into effect today that blocks police from requesting counselling notes of rape victims during investigations unless in exceptional circumstances. This will hopefully encourage more victims/survivors to come forward www.gov.uk/government/n...

As we approach Christmas Day, we want to thank you for taking the time to follow our news and posts during 2025 – it is much appreciated.
However you mark this time of year, we send you our very best wishes.
From all at @circlesuk.bsky.social

Build the internet young people are asking for — instead of simply banning them from it Save the Children looks at “bans” from the perspective of those who would be most affected: young people themselves.

A Google-commissioned study of over 7,000 European teenagers focuses on what helps them learn, connect and stay well when navigating online spaces.
blog.google/technology/f...

Parents of sextortion victim sue Meta for alleged wrongful death Exclusive: Lawsuit is the first UK case of its kind, with Ros and Mark Dowey accusing Meta of ‘putting profit before our young people’

In the first UK case of its kind, the parents of a 16-year-old who took his own life after he fell victim to a sextortion gang are suing Meta for the alleged wrongful death of their son. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

What Do Epstein’s Victims Need? Jeffrey Epstein is all over the news, along with anyone who may have known about, enabled, or participated in his systematic child sexual abuse. Yet there is significantly less information and coverag...

A welcome focus on what survivors of child sexual abuse need, with a mention of the success of Circles in Canada. thefulcrum.us/democracy/re...

The rise of deepfake pornography in schools: ‘One girl was so horrified she vomited’ The use of ‘nudify’ apps is becoming more and more prevalent, with hundreds of teachers having seen images created by pupils, often of their peers. The fallout is huge – and growing fast

At Circles UK's AGM, our Keynote Speaker Adam Groves, highlighted the extent of the deepfake crisis in South Korean schools. This article shows it's just as widespread in the UK.
The rise of deepfake pornography in schools: ‘One girl was so horrified she vomited’ www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...

Rape victims in England and Wales to be protected from ‘serial liar’ trope in legal shake-up Exclusive: New laws will also curb questioning and aim to stop complainants being discredited over previous reports

Welcoming announcements of change to how rape trial victims are dealt with. Justice Sec. D. Lammy said too many rape victims left the criminal justice system feeling they'd been on trial, with sensitive details of past relationships + abuse used to discredit them
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

The Home Secretary laid The Angiolini Inquiry Part 2 First Report before Parliament, addressing the extent existing measures prevent sexually motivated crimes against women in public. Report makes 13 recommendations: www.angiolini.independent-inquiry.uk/reports-2/
Press statement: shorturl.at/foTj2

We are grateful to everyone who attended Circles UK’s AGM and Keynote Address yesterday, and to our Keynote Speaker Adam Groves of @nominet.uk for his excellent and informative presentation, 'The Anatomy of the Korean Deepfake Crisis and its implications for the UK’.

Delighted to welcome six new Circles Coordinators from
@adferiad.org and Circles South East to their two-day Induction Training in Reading, over the last couple of days.

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Research shows child sexual abuse + children’s exposure to adult domestic violence often co-occur. The extent of this co-occurrence remains poorly understood.
Article presents findings from a scoping review of articles reporting prevalence data for co-occurring. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Statement from the Office of the Victims' Commissioner - Victims Commissioner Statement from the Office of the Victims’ Commissioner: “We are deeply saddened to share that Baroness Helen Newlove, the Victims’

We are so very sorry to hear the news about Baroness Newlove. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues. victimscommissioner.org.uk/news/stateme...

Childlight - Childlight

@childlightgcsi.bsky.social's 'Into the Light Index'.
"Every day all over the world children are forced to live in the darkness of sexual exploitation and abuse. This is a hidden pandemic. The Into the Light Index highlights the global prevalence of this problem".
www.childlight.org/into-the-light

Celebrating Trustees' Week we express our gratitude to our Chair, Nigel Barnes, and each of our wonderful Trustees who generously gives their time, shares expertise and guides us with integrity and care. Their leadership helps us grow stronger, reach further, staying true to our values
#trusteesweek

Parenting for the Digital Age UNICEF is working towards the goal that every child is protected from all forms of violence and exploitation, including those associated with digital technologies. The report is part of a programmatic...

This report is part of a partnership between @unicef.org @ox.ac.uk in collaboration with University of Cape Town + Parenting for Lifelong Health, with a shared goal: develop + integrate content on online sexual violence prevention into digital + blended parenting progs
www.unicef.org/documents/pa...

A meta-analysis of recidivism rates among individuals who commit child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) offending A critical challenge for managing individuals with Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM) offenses is addressing their risk of sexual recidivism, e…

'A meta-analysis of recidivism rates among individuals who commit CSEM offending' (ScienceDirect) found that those with CSEM offences rarely commit a new contact sexual offence. Those with both CSEM and contact sexual offences reoffend more than those exclusively with CSEM offences shorturl.at/1b0DO

Sadism, sexual abuse and self-harm: Inside the online gangs where boys compete to be cruel Police warn of rising harm as groups of boys coerce children into self-harm and sexual exploitation on encrypted platforms.

Sky News Adele Robinson’s excellent piece on teenage boys that target vulnerable children online through ‘com’ groups that operate through open networks, not the dark web. The footage is disturbing and makes the point that children face significant dangers online. news.sky.com/story/sadism...

AI deepfakes epidemic in schools with children as young as 10 suspended amid rising online abuse in classrooms | LBC Three hundred pupils are suspended from school for social media use each week, with children as young as 10 dropping out of education and even “developing PTSD” after their classmates created deepfake...

This article highlights the concerning impact of ‘nudify’ apps, which are contributing to a rise in bullying and sexual abuse both within schools and across wider society. Circles UK supports the Internet Watch Foundation's call to ban these harmful technologies.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/deep...

Child Sexual Abuse Language Guide - The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse This guide provides victim and survivor-informed language and definitions that are respectful, inclusive and trauma-informed.

The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse in Australia has recently published a helpful language guide for when we speak about sexual abuse. The guide can be accessed here: lnkd.in/gUntABZr

Sexual Crime and the Internet This book offers an original contribution by drawing together literature and research about the impacts of the internet on sexual crime and offending.

A new book edited by Craig A. Harper, Rebecca Lievesley, Helen Swaby, Belinda Winder, Nicholas Blagden, Kerensa Hocken + Phil Banyard; contributions from others like Prof Derek Perkins explores the use of the internet and its impacts upon sexual crime and offending link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

Circles UK welcomes the fact that there is at last a phone to protect children against viewing explicit content. Well done for the partnership between SafeToNet and phone providers for developing this long overdue intervention. For more information: harmblock.com/devices

How will Australia’s under-16s social media ban be enforced, and which platforms will be exempt? No prescribed avenue for social media companies to check users’ ages, but options include facial estimation technology and matching photos with ID

Circles UK is interested to see the impact of the social media ban for under 16s which comes into effect in December in Australia.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

What Parents Think About Their Kids Social Media and Smartphone Usage - Harris Poll In September, The Harris Poll completed a research project on Gen Z’s attitudes towards social media and smartphones with renowned social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt and his research team. ...

What Parents Think About Their Kids Social Media and Smartphone Usage - Harris Poll
theharrispoll.com/briefs/what-...

We were saddened to hear former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Ian Blair has died.
We appreciated his support when he spoke at our conference back in 2011, as well as when he accessed a room at the House of Lords for us in 2013, for the launch of ‘Friends of Circles UK'.