For too long, child online safety has been treated as an afterthought—activated only when harm has already occurred. While takedown mechanisms, prosecution, and survivor support are vital, they cannot keep pace with the speed and scale of digital risks.

Prevention must become the anchor. This means designing digital spaces where risks are minimised by default, children are equipped with resilience, and parents and educators are empowered to guide safe online behaviour. It also means making bold financial commitments and channeling resources into prevention, innovation and proven interventions to strengthen systems and equalize human and tech capacity worldwide.

Safe Online is the only global fund focused on child safety and wellbeing in the digital world. It has invested over $100 million ($25 million in Africa) with tangible impact across over 100 countries. But this is not enough, the scale and complexity of digital harms affecting children have far outpaced the resources available leaving millions of children exposed, unsupported, unheard.

Safe Online has consistently called for systemic approaches that bring together governments, industry, civil society, survivors and young people. Its investments in cutting-edge research and tools help countries understand the scale of technology facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse and implement evidence-based responses. For example, findings from the $15 million flagship project Disrupting Harm are directly influencing national plans across eight countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.