Photo by
Batya Sharabi/TPS-IL on 17 June, 2025
More Than Half of Online Abuse Reports Now Come from Child Victims Themselves, Israel Finds
Jerusalem, 1 February, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- In a development that both alarms and encourages child safety experts, Israeli children are increasingly turning to authorities themselves when they face online threats, abuse, or harassment. For the first time, more than half of all reports to Israel’s National Center for Protecting Children Online came directly from young victims rather than concerned adults, even as total incidents surged 71 percent in 2025, the center announced on Sunday.
The center, known as Unit 105 and jointly operated by Israel’s Ministry of National Security and the Israel Police, handled 16,292 incidents last year compared to 9,511 in 2024. The data was released as Israel launches its sixth annual National Month for Child Online Protection this February, joining more than 130 countries observing Safer Internet Day on February 10.
What alarmed officials most was not just the volume of cases, but who was reporting them. Child victims filed 54 percent of all complaints, representing a dramatic increase of over 200 percent from previous years. Parents accounted for just 27 percent of reports, while educational staff made up only 5 percent.
The statistics paint a troubling picture of digital life for Israeli youth. Sexual offenses comprised 25 percent of all incidents handled by the center, with bullying and humiliation accounting for 18 percent and life-threatening situations making up 9 percent. The gender distribution among victims was nearly equal, with 55 percent being girls and 45 percent boys, most between ages 12 and 15.
Perhaps most concerning was the finding that perpetrators are often minors themselves. Among identified offenders, 72 percent were children and teenagers under 18, highlighting what experts describe as a peer-to-peer crisis in the digital sphere.
The incidents spanned more than 80 different online platforms, though Instagram led with 20 percent of cases, followed by WhatsApp at 19 percent and TikTok at 15 percent. The introduction of a WhatsApp reporting channel in February 2025 proved significant, with 5,080 reports, or 11 percent of the total, arriving through this method.
Since its establishment in February 2018, the center has handled over 76,000 incidents. The operation represents what officials describe as a unique model globally, bringing together multiple government ministries including education, health, welfare, social security, and justice alongside law enforcement.
Supporting the emergency response work is a volunteer initiative called “Knights of the Net,” where approximately 30 trained volunteers monitor public online spaces and provide supportive responses to youth in distress. In 2025, they responded to 4,225 posts from children dealing with loneliness, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts, with 497 cases transferred to the center due to serious safety concerns.
The center also operates an online therapy program in partnership with the National Insurance Institute and the Elem youth organization. After incidents are resolved, affected families can receive up to six free online counseling sessions with psychologists or clinical social workers specializing in online harm. Last year, 2,969 families received offers for online therapy, with 1,105 accepting and being referred to the treatment center.
An awareness campaign in February will feature more than 1,000 lectures in schools, while public buildings will be illuminated in blue on February 10.
