International monitoring organization reports pedophilic videos online have tripled

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 24, 2025 / 17:37 pm (CNA).

Research from the Association Meter, an Italian-based organization run by Father Fortunato Di Noto that operates the World Observatory Against Pedophilia, has found that online pedophilic videos tripled over the last year, rising from from 651,527 in 2023 to 2,085,447 in 2024.

Moreover, in its annual report for 2024, Association Meter identified over 8,000 links to pedophilic content, with U.S.-based servers hosting half the links.

“A reported link can lead to a single video or photo file, but also to mega-archives containing thousands of child pornography files,” the report indicated. “These links are often distributed via chats or group.”

In an interview with “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly,” Di Noto said “the seriousness of the problem has not been grasped.”

Association Meter identified and reported on 410 groups on social media, including 336 Signal groups and 51 Facebook pages, among others, that share illicit materials.

Signal is a U.S.-based encrypted messaging app that keeps conversations secure. As Di Noto sees it, “Signal has become an accomplice to evil.”

“The current configuration of encrypted platforms prevents law enforcement from identifying those responsible and therefore hinders justice for victims. An urgent dialogue with digital platforms is needed to find technical and regulatory solutions that ensure both security of personal communications and protection of children from online abuse,” the report asserts.

According to the organization’s analysis of child pornography material found online, the 8- to 12-year-old age group is the most requested, with 1,589,332 minors photographed and 1,678,478 minors filmed on video. The 3- to 7-year-old age group follows, with 404,589 photos and 405,748 videos.

Association Meter also found that technology advancements in AI are increasing demand for child pornography. “Although some contents generated by AI can be considered fakes, they still represent a serious danger because they fuel criminal networks that are already complex to monitor; they objectify minors, contributing to the normalization of abuse; [and] they increase the demand for child pornography content, pushing exploiters to commit real abuses.”

Last month, Association Meter posted a report finding that pedophiles are also starting to create minors with AI. “[Pedophiles] use tools based on artificial intelligence to generate deepfake images of minors, with the aim of virtually ‘undressing’ them.”

In May 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice arrested a Wisconsin resident for the distribution, possession, and production of AI sexually explicit content of minors.

Addressing that case and the growing problem of AI-generated child pornography, the St. Thomas Law Review also published a policy paper last fall titled “Crafting New Boundaries,” which recommended updating existing laws and introducing new statutes to ban AI-generated sexually explicit content that represents minors.

This year’s report also warned about online video games, stating that “there is a growing risk of solicitation: Phone contacts are requested by pedophiles to move the conversation from the video game to a private dimension and requests for nude photos or attempts to establish emotional relationships with vulnerable minors.”