Child sex abuse material on the internet is increasingly moving behind paywalls and closed-access platforms, according to the annual report of the Irish Internet Hotline.The non-governmental hotline is a national reporting centre for illegal online content, working in association with law enforcement and the internet industry. The internet watchdog said the number of reports it processed in 2025 rose to 61,317, a 14.7 per cent increase on 2024. The annual report highlights what it said was “a growing trend towards the commercialisation and concealment of online child sexual abuse material, with illegal material increasingly distributed through subscription-based and restricted-access platforms designed to avoid detection”. The report said the shift is reducing public visibility, limiting opportunities for incidental discovery and creating significant challenges for those working to identify and remove harmful content.As well as a 325 per cent increase in computer-generated child sexual abuse material, according to the report, the increase in reported content involving infants rose from 1 per cent to 4 per cent.The report also detailed:A total of 456 child sexual exploitation material reports were assessed in 2025, with an 88 per cent removal rate achieved. A 96 per cent removal rate was achieved for abuse involving intimate images. Removal times ranged from three minutes to 24 hours. Reports relating to financial scams increased by 52 per cent, with 194 fraudulent websites identified and a 95 per cent removal rate achieved. A total of 510 reports relating to racism and xenophobia were received, representing a 44 per cent decrease year-on-year. However, only four reports met the threshold for potential criminal investigation. Chief executive officer Mick Moran said the move behind paywalls and closed access systems reduces visibility, slows disruption efforts, and makes the work of identifying and removing this material significantly more difficult. He said the move also highlights the need for financial institutions to play their part to reduce the abuse of their financial service networks “for this peddling of child sexual abuse material and other forms of exploitation”.Moran said, despite the increased scale and complexity of online harm, 99.6 per cent of assessed child sexual abuse material was removed at source “through co-ordinated notice-and-takedown efforts involving industry, law enforcement and international partners”.Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan commended the Irish Internet Hotline, saying: “Their work is not always visible, but it is essential. It requires judgment, resilience, and a strong sense of purpose, and it makes a real difference in protecting people, particularly children from harm online.”Oliver Loomes, CEO of telecoms company Eir, said the figures were “a reminder that online harms are increasing in volume and complexity”.