New national poll shows Canadians want urgent action to stop online child sexual abuse and exploitation
Canadians overwhelmingly support strong federal action requiring tech companies to deploy tools to protect children
MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A new national survey conducted by Léger for International Justice Mission (IJM) Canada reveals that Canadians are deeply concerned about the rapidly growing crisis of online child sexual abuse and exploitation, including live-streamed abuse, and overwhelmingly want the federal government to take urgent and decisive action to stop it.
With global reports of online child sexual abuse continuing to rise at an alarming rate, the poll finds that eight-in-ten Canadians (81%) believe the Government of Canada should take the lead in requiring safeguards to prevent online child sexual abuse and exploitation. Nearly all Canadians (94%) support government action requiring technology companies to stop live-streamed child sexual abuse on their platforms and applications, such as messaging and video chat environments. Additionally, nine-in-ten Canadians (88%) support the use of on-device detection and prevention tools with the awareness that technology can detect and stop the live streaming of child sexual abuse on smartphones without compromising user data or privacy.
“This data confirms what IJM is seeing across many countries: Canadians want urgent, decisive action to protect children,” said John Tanagho, Executive Director of IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children. “Live-streamed abuse is one of the fastest growing and most underreported forms of child sexual exploitation globally. Canada has a critical opportunity – and responsibility – to lead by enacting strong legislation that prevents this harm, holds offenders accountable, and ensures technology platforms are using the tools available to protect children in real time.”
Canadians Demand Stronger Protections
The polling results show near unanimous agreement that technology companies must be held accountable for preventing child sexual abuse on their platforms. An overwhelming 92% of Canadians support laws requiring tech companies to proactively detect online child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Meanwhile, 90% believe companies should face strict standards for removing abusive content and/or face penalties when they fail to act.
The findings come as the Government of Canada prepares to introduce a revised Online Harms Bill, legislation IJM believes must include strong measures to prevent the creation, distribution, and consumption of child sexual abuse images and videos, recorded or live.
A Growing and Urgent Crisis
Online sexual abuse and exploitation of children is accelerating worldwide, affecting more than 300 million children every year according to global research.[1]
Live-streamed child sexual abuse remains one of the most urgent threats as it takes place on private applications making it hard to detect, leaving children vulnerable and allowing Canadian offenders to exploit children in real time. In the Philippines alone, an estimated 500,000 children were affected in a single year – that’s 1 in 100 children. Data from the Philippines Anti-Money Laundering Council indicates that Canada has the fourth-highest volume of financial transactions to the Philippines suspicious for online child sexual exploitation and abuse in an 18-month reporting period from 2020 to 2022.[2]
Canadians are not just aware of these risks, they are alarmed. Nearly all Canadians (94%) expressed concerns about individuals distributing and sharing child sexual abuse images or videos online.
What Canadians Want the Government to Do
The research shows Canadians strongly support government action to:
- Mandate the removal and prevention of re-uploading of child sexual abuse images and videos (96%)
- Require technology companies to stop live-streamed child sexual abuse on their platforms and apps (94%)
- Impose penalties on platforms that fail to prevent or respond to child sexual abuse content (92%)
A Critical Opportunity for Canada
IJM Canada is urging the federal government to ensure the revised Online Harms Bill includes:
- Explicitly addressing live-streamed child sexual abuse and exploitation.
- Ensuring device manufacturers and operating system services are within the scope of the law through a duty of care.
- Legislating a duty of care on messaging and live online video platforms.
- Requiring safety-by-design standards across the technology industry to protect users and non-users.
- Mandating regular risk assessments and transparency reporting.
- Requiring proactive detection, removal, and reporting of child sexual abuse images and videos.
- Centering survivor voices in online safety legislation.
“Canadians are nearly unanimous in calling for stronger safeguards, stricter accountability, and action that matches the scale of the crisis,” said Cheryl Hotchkiss, VP Advancement and Strategy, IJM Canada. “Online sexual abuse and exploitation of children is not a distant issue. Canadians contribute to the demand and play a direct role in fuelling the existence of child sexual abuse and exploitation, and it is critical the Canadian government leads in finding a solution.”
Find the full results of the public opinion survey here as well as IJM’s call to action to the federal government and further information about IJM’s work to address online child sexual abuse and exploitation here: https://www.ijm.ca/confronting-the-crisis.
About International Justice Mission:
International Justice Mission (IJM) is the world’s largest international anti-slavery organization, working to protect people in poverty from violence. IJM partners with local authorities in 32 locations across 20 countries to rescue victims, hold perpetrators accountable, support survivors, and strengthen justice systems. IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children works globally to stop offenders, strengthen cross-border collaboration, and implement proven models to protect children.
About John Tanagho:
John Tanagho is the Executive Director of International Justice Mission (IJM)’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children. The Center protects children in the Philippines, where nearly half a million children are sexually abused to produce child sexual abuse material, especially through live streaming.
John speaks internationally on child protection, including at the 2022 Singapore FinTech Festival, the largest financial tech gathering. He has testified twice before Congress on the scale of child sexual abuse in the Philippines and the need for online safety legislation and published numerous articles. He is a member of global advisory groups, including the World Economic Forum Global Coalition for Digital Safety, and his expertise has been included in media coverage from The New York Times, CNN, Fast Company, The Guardian, ITV and others.
About Cheryl Hotchkiss:
Cheryl Hotchkiss serves as Vice President, Advancement and Strategy for IJM Canada. She joined IJM Canada five years ago with over 20 years of experience in public engagement, advocacy and government engagement. Her advocacy has focused on issues such as women’s human rights protection with Amnesty International and child and maternal health and child labour at World Vision.
Media Contact:
Name: Maggie Cutrell
Email: mcutrell@ijm.org
Phone: +1 478-955-4666
1 Childlight. (4 December 2024). Over 300 million children a year are victims of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse. Available from: https://www.childlight.org/newsroom/over-300-million-children-a-year-are-victims-of-online-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse
2 Philippines Anti-Money Laundering Council, 2023
ONLINE SEXUAL ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN IN THE PHILIPPINES: An Evaluation Using STR Data
http://www.amlc.gov.ph/images/PDFs/Main/Online%20Sexual%20Abuse%20and%20Exploitation%20of%20Children%20in%20the%20Philippines.pdf
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