Session
Organizer 1: Deborah Vassallo, 🔒
Organizer 2: Sabrina Vorbau, 🔒European Schoolnet - Insafe
Organizer 3: Julia Piechna, NASK - National Research Institute
Organizer 4: Rywczynska Anna, NASK
Organizer 5: Dhanaraj Thakur, Center for Democracy and Technology
Speaker 1: Awo Aidam Amenyah, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 2: Brian O Neill, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Pratishtha Arora, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 4: Robbert Hoving, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Lauren Tharp / Sean Litton (Tech Coalition)
Speaker 6: Sabine Witting, legal academic based at Leiden university
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The session will follow a roundtable format, beginning with a panel of speakers who will provide their insights on the topic. Each question will then be explored further in discussions at four separate group tables, each facilitated by a designated facilitators. Following these discussions, a rapporteur will present a summary of the key points and conclusions from each table.
- How can technologies to prevent CSEA on livestreaming platforms be integrated into trust and safety systems in a way that protects and promotes children's rights and how effective are these tools for children from specific communities (e.g., those that speak certain languages, or from different cultures)?
- How can we promote cross-platform efforts to prevent the spread of CSEA content—including when livestreaming is used to drive traffic elsewhere?
- How can national and international policies be strengthened to address emerging forms of abuse, such as self-generated content and online coercion?
- What preventative measures, including education and digital safeguards, can empower children to recognize and respond to online sexual exploitation?
What will participants gain from attending this session?
- A deeper understanding of the intersection of livestreaming, digital platforms, and child sexual exploitation and abuse.
- Practical knowledge on current technologies and their impact on privacy, safety, and children’s rights.
- Insights into emerging trends such as self-generated content and sextortion.
- Approaches to integrating digital literacy and online safety into national curricula and parenting resources.
- Tools to support collaboration between governments, platforms, educators, and civil society.
- Actionable recommendations to improve platform safeguards, reporting systems, and policy frameworks.
Description:
Livestreaming and digital platforms are central to young people's online experiences, but they pose unique challenges for child safety. From real-time abuse in livestreams to the increasing volume of self-generated exploitative content and coercion, the nature of online child sexual exploitation is evolving rapidly.
This workshop brings together experts from civil society, industry, and academia to examine how technology, policy, and education can intersect to address this urgent issue. The session will include technical overviews of AI and trust & safety tools used to detect and prevent CSEA on livestreaming platforms, as well as policy insights into how digital safeguards and education can prevent exploitation before it occurs.
The discussion will include a global and culturally inclusive lens, looking at how children from specific communities are affected and how to promote equitable protection. We will explore cross-platform strategies and multi-stakeholder collaboration to develop scalable, rights-respecting solutions.
The session will begin with 4–5 speaker interventions (~5 minutes each), covering technological, policy, and human rights perspectives. Following a Q&A, the workshop will move to a guided group discussion around three key themes:
- The capabilities and limitations of technological tools (AI, content analysis, metadata) in preventing online CSEA.
- Preventative education and digital literacy as long-term strategies for empowerment and resilience.
- Strategies to address cross-platform abuse and ensure protections for children from marginalized or underrepresented communities.
- Knowledge Sharing: Increased awareness among IGF participants of current and emerging online CSEA threats, especially on livestreaming platforms.
- Policy and Practice Recommendations: Development of practical recommendations for governments, companies, and civil society on preventing CSEA online while promoting children’s rights.
- Community Building: Facilitate a global network of practitioners, researchers, and advocates focused on tackling CSEA through both technical and preventative means.
- Public Report: A publicly available summary of insights and recommendations, published by the Center for Democracy & Technology under a Creative Commons license by end of 2025.
- Continued Engagement: Launch of potential follow-up initiatives, including roundtables or working groups to further refine and implement recommendations.
Hybrid Format:
- Dual Moderators: One moderator for in-person and one for online engagement to ensure all voices are heard.
- Rotating Speaker Model: Mix of onsite and online speakers for inclusivity and engagement.
- Live Q&A and Chat Integration: Real-time interaction with both online and onsite attendees.
- Inclusive Participation: Online participants can engage via audio, chat, or virtual hand-raising tools (Zoom/MS Teams).