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A CELCIS Emerging Insight Series Webinar:  

Where’s the harm? Protecting children from online sexual abuse and risk in the age of artificial intelligence 

 

AI is now integrated into the digital technologies most of us use every day. How AI tools are used and what this technology is asked to do is rightly under scrutiny. And no more so than in the context of child protection. What does the use of AI now mean for keeping children safe from harm and preventing sexual abuse?  

To provide an insight on this for people with a professional and personal interest in the care and protection of children, on 27 May, we brought together an opportunity for expertise and new information to be shared.  

We heard from:  

  • John Carr OBE a leading authority on children's and young people's use of the internet and digital technologies, former Adviser to ECPAT International, Secretary of the UK's Children's Charities' Coalition on Internet Safety, member of the former UK Council on Child Internet Safety, and an advisor to the Council of Europe, the UN and UNICEF.  

  • Valeriia Soloveva, Specialist Researcher with Protect Children, a non-profit, non-governmental Helsinki-based organisation working internationally advocating for the right of the child to be free from sexual violence, co-author of CSAM Perpetrator Research Report: Findings from a Survey of CSAM Perpetrators on Digital Platform Use and Design for the Ofcom-sponsored project Tell Me More About Tech.  

  • Mariya Kraft, Internet Content Analyst, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), part of the team working at the foundation whose experiences and insights inform the recently published AI CSAM Report for 2026: Harm without limits - AI child sexual abuse material through the eyes of our Analysts. 

There was also space for questions. 

This series of webinars is ideal for anyone with a professional or personal interest in and responsibility to support children and families in Scotland, the UK and anywhere in the world. This includes:

  • Practitioners in social care, health, and education
  • Service managers responsible for shaping and delivering key services
  • National and local policy leads and decision-makers
  • Local service commissioners
  • Parents and carers
  • Students and researchers of social care

This webinar is of particular interest to all those with a responsibility for child protection.

The recording of this webinar is coming soon.

Source material / pre-reading 

Wellbeing Information

This webinar may contain information and content of a sensitive nature and it is not advisable for under 18s to attend. Information to support self care and signpost to relevant organisations will be provided during and after the webinar.

CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, is a leading improvement, innovation and research centre for children and young people’s support, care and protection, based at the University of Strathclyde.

CELCIS is a fully accredited CPD provider with the CPD Certification Service (CPD UK)

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The recording of this webinar is coming soon.