Child Sexual Abuse DownUnder > YouTube to be included in Australia's Child Social Media Ban

 

Australia to include YouTube in ban on child social media ban

By Ian Stark

   

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, seen here at a press conference in Canberra, Australia, in April of 2024. File Photo by EPA-EFE/LUKAS COCH AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

July 30 (UPI) -- The Australian government has announced that YouTube will be included in new legislation that bans children under the age of 16 from using social media.

The Labor government announced Wednesday that YouTube, will be age-limited just like social media platforms will be starting in December, when new legislation goes into effect that bans children under 16 from using them.

"Protecting kids online means taking on some tough problems, so we're banning social media accounts for under 16s," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese posted to X late Tuesday.

"Young Australians will benefit from three more years free from algorithms, to grow, to connect and to build resilience in the real world," he also said in the post.

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The ban puts the main pressure on the platforms themselves to keep underage kids offline, or risk fines as high as $32 million.

"The way these platforms are built can harm children while they're still finding their own way," Albanese also posted.

"We share the government's goal of addressing and reducing online harms," said a statement posted on Australia's Google Blog on Tuesday.

YouTube is owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, which expressed disappointment about the impending restrictions in the statement, which also alleged that the inclusion of YouTube "reverses a clear, public commitment to exclude YouTube from this ban."

"We will consider next steps and will continue to engage with the government," it also said.

The decision to include YouTube in the ban was influenced by a survey released by Australia's eSafety Commission earlier this month, which found 37% of children surveyed had reported seeing harmful content on the site.

According to the Commission's website, the law "puts the onus on social media platforms, not parents or children, to take reasonable steps to ensure fundamental protections for under 16s are in place."

The expectation, as per the Commission, will require social media platform to take steps that include "implementing appropriate age assurance mechanisms."

Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells said in a video posted to Facebook Wednesday that the legislation, known as Online Safety Act 2021, was born from a request "by an army of 150,000 parents."

"Today, the Albanese government again shows its commitment to putting families at the heart of our decision making, tabling the rules of Australia's world-leading age-minimum social media laws," Wells continued.

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Child Sexual Abuse - Global > Pedo ring of 20 Arrested on three continents for distributing CSAM - Interpol

 

20 Arrested Over Network That Distributed Child Sex Abuse Material, Interpol Says

The international sweep included arrests in 12 countries across Europe and the Americas. The agency said there were also dozens of other suspects.

By Lynsey Chutel, NYTimes

Reporting from London

The headquarters of Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, in Lyon, France.Credit...Olivier Chassignole/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Twenty people in Europe, the United States and South America have been arrested as part of an investigation into an international network that produced and distributed child sexual abuse material, Interpol said on Friday. The policing organization said the network was also thought to extend to Asia and the Pacific region.

The arrests, which took place in 12 countries, were the result of a cross-border inquiry in which investigators tracked the illegal material online to people who viewed or downloaded it, according to Interpol.

The sweep made public by Interpol on Friday included arrests in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Italy, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain and the United States. It also led investigators to 68 other suspects in 28 countries, including the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania, according to Interpol and the Spanish police.

Published June 6, 2025, Updated June 11, 2025

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Child Sex Abuse in the USA > Utah woman videos rape of preschooler; Illinois school worker jailed for CSAM; Chat admin can't stop downloading CSAM in N.C.

 

St. George woman sentenced for filming sexual abuse of a preschooler

ST. GEORGE — On Thursday, 31-year-old Alexandria Marie Wright appeared before 5th District Judge Keith C. Barnes to be sentenced on four of the eight counts filed against her.

These included first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child, sodomy on a child and aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, and dealing in harmful materials to a minor, a third-degree felony.

The four remaining aggravated sexual abuse charges were dismissed in exchange for the guilty pleas Wright entered on April 24, when she admitted to "engaging in a sexual act with the child" and filming the abuse, according to a statement filed in support of the plea.

The videos that led to Wright's charges came to light during the arrest of a 26-year-old Nevada man, Martin Brandon Gillen, of Mesquite. He was arrested in Iola, Kansas, in March 2024 in connection with an unrelated kidnapping case. During his arrest, Gillen told agents he had met a woman in St. George, which "ultimately led to the sexual abuse of a minor," the agent noted.

Read the entire story at St. George News.

Former School Worker Sentenced To Prison For Possessing Images Of Child Sex Abuse

Donald Peters, a former District 300 employee, has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Amie Schaenzer, Patch Staff

Posted Mon, Jun 9, 2025 at 2:01 pm CT

ALGONQUIN, IL — A former District 300 employee has been sentenced to prison time after he pleaded guilty to felony charges in a child porn case on Friday.

Donald Peters, 36, of Cary, entered the guilty plea to the amended charge of possessing images of child sex abuse and was sentenced to seven years in prison, according to Shaw Local News Network. He also pleaded guilty to attempted possession of child sex abuse images and was sentenced to four years of sex offender probation, which will be served following his prison term.

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Peters will be required to serve half of his sentence before he is eligible for mandatory supervised release and he will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, according to court records.

Peters was arrested in August 2023 after several child pornography, intimidation and electronic harassment charges were filed against him.

In the criminal complaint against Peters filed by prosecutors, Peters was accused of soliciting, enticing or coercing a juvenile that he is alleged to know to appear in any stage play, live presentation, film video or other visual image in which the child — alleged to be under the age of 13 – was depicted as being involved in lewd behavior.

The complaint alleges that Peters – who previously worked as an attendance secretary for District 300 – used a device capable of electronic data storage or written communication to “seduce, solicit, lure or entice” the juvenile to distribute photographs of the child’s private parts, according to documents.

The indictment accuses Peters of luring a juvenile victim under the age of 15 for unlawful purposes, prosecutors allege.

The charges mark the second time this year Peters has faced criminal charges after he was previously charged with child pornography charges involving a child under the age of 13 as well as electronic harassment, obscene proposal, cyberstalking, and two counts of intimidation.

Peters pleaded not guilty to those charges in September.

Peters recently worked as an attendance and truancy assistant at Westfield Community School for nearly five years, according to his LinkedIn.

ADMINISTRATOR OF ONLINE CHATROOM DEDICATED TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL IS SENTENCED TO 15+ YEARS IN PRISON

09 June 2025 Hits: 304

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A previously convicted sex offender who served as the administrator of an online chatroom dedicated to sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was sentenced to 188 months in prison today for distributing child pornography, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. 

In addition to the prison term imposed, Nicholas Tyler Banks, 24, of Burnsville, N.C., was ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release, to register as a sex offender, and to pay $26,000 in restitution.

Chief Daniel Duckworth of the Boone Police Department joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.

According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, beginning in September 2023, a Boone Police Department detective was conducting an undercover investigation into the sexual exploitation of children online. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Banks was using a commonly available chat application to share images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children in a chatroom dedicated to sharing CSAM. 

All the files shared by Banks were made available for all users of the chatroom to view, download, and further distribute. The CSAM files depicted prepubescent children engaging in sexually explicit conduct with adults and some of the videos depicted sadomasochistic conduct. 

The investigation further revealed that Banks served as the administrator of the chat group, and in that role, he was in charge of adding new members to the group.

In January 2024, a search warrant was executed at Banks’s residence. Several electronic devices were seized and forensically examined. In total, investigators found that Banks possessed the equivalent (when taking videos into account) of more than 47,700 CSAM images. Investigators also determined that Banks continued to collect and share additional CSAM even after the search warrant was executed.

Sin is progressive, almost never regressive, especially where demons are involved.

Banks was previously convicted of the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in Sullivan County, in Tennessee, and as a result of that conviction he was a registered sex offender.

On January 27, 2025, Banks pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography with a qualifying prior conviction. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the Boone Police Department for their investigation of the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Alexis Solheim of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Child Sexual Abuse > A priest, a paramedic, and a music teacher, among 55 men arrested in paedo ring in France

 

France detains 55 men in child sex abuse crackdown

Paris (AFP) – Fifty-five men, including a priest, a paramedic, and a music teacher, were arrested in France this week as part of an operation to dismantle a suspected paedophile ring operating via the Telegram messaging app, authorities said on Thursday.

The arrests took place in 42 departments over possession, distribution and regular viewing of pornography involving children "under the age of 10", France's OFMIN, which is tasked with preventing violence against minors, told AFP.

OFMIN issued the warrant that led to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in Paris in 2024, and he remains under formal investigation by French authorities over illegal content on the popular service.

The arrests of the 55 men aged 25 to 75, which followed a 10-month investigation, took place from Monday to Thursday.

The men exchanged messages on Telegram and were in contact with "extremely dangerous" child sex abusers who have been in prison since last summer, Quentin Bevan, head of OFMIN's operational unit, told AFP.

The large-scale operation began last summer with the arrest of individuals suspected of abusing children and posting images on Telegram.

The suspects are being investigated for human trafficking and face life imprisonment.

"It took 10 months of investigation to track down these child abusers," Bevan said.

"Ten months of undercover work involving thousands of exchanges, analysis and detection of paedophile images by a task force set up at the OFMIN."

The suspects either have children or grandchildren or come into contact with children at work.

Some of the suspects boasted of abusing children while they slept but now claim they did not actually commit any crimes, according to investigators.

- 'Paedophile den' -

In a separate case, Durov has been charged with several counts of failing to curb extremist content.

Investigators have confronted him with specific cases ranging from child abuse to drug trading, scams, arms sales and the hiring of hitmen.

The Russian-born entrepreneur has since announced steps appearing to bow to Paris's demands.

While Bevan acknowledged progress in Telegram's cooperation with investigators since Durov's arrest, he said the platform was "barely fulfilling its legal obligations".

Which is true of most platforms where child sex abuse images are traded!

He said that Telegram remains a "paedophile den" and a "platform of choice" for child abusers.

Telegram rejected the accusation in a statement on Thursday, saying that it "meets and exceeds its legal obligations to fight harmful content".

What a disgrace when they work to meet the legal obligations and completely ignore the moral obligations. They will be reminded of that when they stand before Jesus Christ.

The messaging platform has "always complied with EU law" and "consistently responded to all binding legal requests for years", the company added.

Durov says Telegram has also sought to fight against child abuse for years.

In June 2024, France shut down the adult website Coco which was used to commit numerous sex crimes such as child sex abuse and rape.

After that some perpetrators of child sex abuse are believed to have switched to Telegram, according to an investigator.

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Approaching Sodom > America and Europe fight to relax laws on child sexual abuse imaging and virtual CSA imaging

 

It's heartbreaking that Muslim countries have a much higher standard of morality when it comes to child sexual abuse imaging. Western countries are rushing headlong toward Sodom and are being held back by Muslim African countries and Russia. Astonishing!

Biden/Europeans Argue Protection of Virtual Pedophile Smut

By Stefano Gennarini, J.D. and Iulia-Elena Cazan | February 8, 2024

NEW YORK, February 9 (C-Fam) The Biden administration, the European Union, and other Western countries have asked the General Assembly to decriminalize some forms of teenage child pornography and virtual child pornography. This, in a new binding treaty on cybercrime.

However, more than thirty traditional countries opposed the draft of the treaty during negotiations last week.

The new treaty would replace the strict unified standard against child pornography used in international law with a flexible one that varies between countries. Western countries argued the new standard is necessary to protect the sexual autonomy of teenagers who share sexual images of themselves and the privacy of people who produce and consume some forms of virtual child pornography.

A flexible standard would make it 100 times more difficult for international organizations to fight against this heinous scourge. 

The Biden administration supported the new framework during a polarized exchange in negotiations last week. “We need to allow some flexibility for minors who engage in sexual activity and to allow domestic laws with different ages of consent,” a U.S. delegate said.

Minors who engage in sexting are very vulnerable to sextortion. This idea would certainly result in an increase in suicides by kids being extorted or being victims of revenge porn.

Traditional countries questioned how it’s possible to protect children from predators if individuals are allowed to produce, possess, and share any form of child pornography at all.

While the draft treaty would not make all forms of teenage or virtual child pornography legal, it expressly states that virtual child pornography may be legalized and become available in some countries so long as it does not involve “a real child” or actual sexual abuse.

That is such an abominably short-sighted attitude. Sin is progressive! Teens and pedophiles who enjoy virtual child sexual abuse will not remain as such. They will evolve toward more and more realism both in online porn and in real life. This is madness!

The articles of the treaty also expressly allows loopholes to make teenage child pornography and other teenage-sexualized materials legal in some countries if the children depicted have reached the age of consent for sex and voluntarily share such material for “private use” between those who share the images.

Nothing on the internet ever stays as "private use", nothing!

Speaking on behalf of seventeen Arab countries, Egypt said the provisions of the draft treaty “severely undermine the rights of children” and that they contradict the strict standards of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for the protection of children.

“It is of paramount importance that a person regardless of age cannot consent to the dissemination of an intimate image that constitutes child sexual abuse or child sexual exploitation material,” he said.

The Egyptian delegate also emphasized that sovereign states had a right to criminalize all forms of pornography. He said the new treaty should not undermine the right of all states “to criminalize the publication of intimate images, whether with or without the consent of the parties involved, this is in an effort to preserve order and public morals.”

A representative of Australia said that “sharing intimate images between children of the same age may be better dealt with as a privacy issue rather than exposing children to the criminal justice process.” This position was supported by the European Union.

An Austrian delegate argued that the loopholes in the new framework were important “for law enforcement, medical purposes, for science… something that we hold very dearly is art,” to which a delegate of the Russian Federation retorted, “Can someone elaborate on where images or videos of children being sexually abused can be used for medical and scientific purposes?”

No kidding! Even Russia has a higher moral standard on this issue.

The Holy See delegation said it was “extremely concerned” with the changes the treaty was proposing to the international legal framework for the protection of children. “We think that this really allows for the production of simulated and artificially generated images,” the Holy See delegate said.

The seventeen Arab countries that opposed the new standards were Algeria, Bahrein, Egypt, Iraq, Jodan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, UAE, and Yemen, Iran, Syria. The position of Egypt was also echoed by Pakistan, Indonesia, Paraguay, Nicaragua and several African delegations including Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Zimbabwe, Benin, and Chad.

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