United Kingdom – AMBER Advocate

A growing threat in online grooming and “sextortion” prompted the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to take action. After tech companies reported more than 9,600 cases of adults grooming children online in just six months—the equivalent of about 400 a week—the NCA launched what it called “unprecedented” public awareness campaigns. The campaigns alert U.K. teachers, parents, and children to the dangers of sextortion, in which victims are blackmailed into sharing abusive, explicit images. The British newspaper The Guardian outlined how widespread the threat is. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) noted a 192% increase from 2023 in reports from tech firms of adults across the world soliciting children. Law enforcement agencies are increasingly concerned that predators are finding more sophisticated ways to target children online. A lengthy manual giving detailed instructions on how best to exploit young Internet users was uncovered on online networks encouraging young men to commit crimes. That sextortion guide was allegedly produced by an Arizona man, whom the FBI arrested in late 2024.

As a growing number of states continue to grapple with tech companies on legislation meant to safeguard children online, Maryland made its Kids Code official by enacting it into law. The Maryland Kids Code prevents tech companies from harvesting data, posting location information, or using dark algorithms pertaining to children. A second part, slated to take effect in 2025, requires the companies to assess and analyze their products for potential harm it could cause children. The measure was contentious throughout the legislative process, with Big Tech lobbyists opposing it; legal challenges could still arise. The legislation mirrors California’s 2022 Age Appropriate Design Code Act, which follows a model established in the United Kingdom.

Legal red tape is preventing two Israeli children from returning home until the end of the year or longer. In July, the Jewish Chronicle reported that a 12-year-old girl was sent to the UK alone by her mother; her 9-year-old brother arrived a year earlier to live with a family friend in Leeds. The girl, who is staying in a hostel in London, has now claimed asylum in the UK. Officials in both countries are working to repatriate the children but have been hampered by international law governing minors. Additionally, asylum cases can take years to resolve, according to the Israeli Ministry of Social Affairs. The children’s case remains under police investigation and Chief Inspector Avi Rosh of Tel Aviv District Police said he expects to charge the mother with neglect of a minor and abandoning a minor.

The United Kingdom relaunched a new and improved Child Rescue Alert to help find abducted children. The original system was launched in 2004 and is based on the U.S. AMBER Alert Program. The new system will use computer software to send messages to radio, television, cell phones, computers and roadway signs. The program is also compatible with alerts used by other European countries. The Child Rescue Alert Program is being overseen by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). "Child Rescue Alert is not expected to be used often, as strict criteria must be met, but it is a valuable tool available to a senior investigator to be used in the right situations," said NPIA Chief Constable Peter Neyroud.

France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom have agreed on the criteria to be used for a cross-border child abduction alert. The agreement came during a three-day seminar held this May 2010 at the French Ministry of Justice in Paris. The countries agreed to the minimum criteria set in the 2008 European Commission guidelines to issue alerts if "it is a proven abduction or there are clear elements indicating that it could be a case of abduction." Police and prosecutors also gathered to discuss best practices, identify key contacts, coordinate their efforts and build trust. Another meeting took place in July to discuss how agencies should share case evidence during an alert and to prepare for a mock exercise on September 15.