February is the National Child Online Protection Month, to mark this special month, the Child Online Protection Bureau – Unit 105 in LAHAV 433 led by the Ministry of National Security and the Israel Police, is releasing the 2024 data of the ”Cyber Knights” project, together with the Online Therapy and Assistance project.
- Over 60,000 incidents had been opened and handled by the 105 hotline since its launch in February 2018 to the end of 2024. In the past year alone, the hotline handled more than 9,500 incidents of online harm to minors.
- Kids harming kids! 71% of the identified offenders were children and teenagers.
- Types of incidents: 30% of the incidents were sexual offenses, 18% involved cyberbullying and shaming, and 16% were life-threating situations.
- Who are the victims? 62% were girls, mostly aged 12-15, while 38% were boys, mostly aged 12-17.
- Sexual offenses: 65% of the victims of sexual offenses were girls, primarily affected by sexual harassment (37%), sexual extortion (sextortion) (21%), and the dissemination of sexual videos or images (17%).
- Where is online harming of minors occurring? The 105 hotline handled incidents across more than 80 online platforms, mainly Instagram (26%), WhatsApp (22%) and TikTok (10%)
- Who contacted the 105 hotline? 36% of the calls to the 105 hotlines were from parents, while 32% were made by the victims themselves.
This is the fifth year that the Child Online Protection Bureau – Unit 105 in Lahav 433, led by the Ministry of National Security and the Israel Police, is dedicating an entire month for prevention activities, public awareness campaigns and collaborations with government bodies and civil organizations, all focused on protecting children online. Given the current security situation, this year’s key message is “Safe to Connect – Maintaining Digital Resilience in the Age of AI.”
Israel joins over 130 countries in marking the International Safer Internet Day on February 11, 2025. As part of this national month, police officers and civilians will deliver more than 1,500 lectures to junior-high school students. In addition, the Child Online Protection Bureau 105 website and social media will feature content aimed at strengthening children and teen’s digital resilience and to preventing harm through AI generated content.
Color Blue: For the third year, local and regional authorities across Israel will light up public buildings in blue on February 11, 2025, to raise awareness of child online protection and promote a safer digital space for children.
The Child Online Protection Bureau – Unit 105 is also releasing, for the first time, the 2024 data of the 105 hotline:
- From its founding in February 2018 to the end of 2024, over 60,000 incidents had been opened and handled by the 105 hotline
- In 2024 alone, 9,511 incidents were handled by the 105 hotline, an 18% increase compared to 2023 (8,100 incidents)
- Online harming of minors occurs mainly on Instagram (26%), WhatsApp (22%), the Stips forum (11%) and TikTok (10%)
- Most of the incidents handled by the hotline involved sexual offenses (30%), cyberbullying and shaming (18%), and life threatening situations (16%)
- Of the sexual offences, 37% of the incidents involved sexual harassment, 21% sextortion and 17% dissemination of sexual videos or images
- Gender: 62% of the victims were girls and 38% were boys
- Age of the victims: most of girls were 12 to 15 years old, while most of the boys were 12 to 17 years old
- Victims of sexual offenses: 65% of the victims were girls and 35% were boys
- Kids harming kids!: 71% of the identified offenders were minors, of whom 18% were 13 years old and 15% were 12 years old.
- Abuse by adults: 55% of the incidents involving adult offenders were sexual offenses and 18% involved non-sexual harassment
- Of the inquiries to the 105 hotline, 36% were from parents and 32% from the victims themselves
- The 105 hotline handled incidents across more than 80 online platforms, mainly Instagram (26%), WhatsApp (22%) and TikTok (10%)
- The 105 hotline received over 1,000 inquiries via an online form
The “Cyber Knights” project – 2024 activities
Launched in September 2022, the Cyber Knights volunteer project works to prevent online abuse of minors. 36 trained volunteers from the Ministry of National Security actively monitor public online spaces, respond and offer assistance and support to help children and teens feel safer online.
- Since its launch, the Cyber Knights have responded to 7,000 posts.
- In 2024 alone, they responded to 3,718 posts from children and teens on topics such as loneliness, mental health struggles, depression and anxiety, cyberbullying, harassment, domestic violence, eating disorders, sexual abuse, suicidal expressions, etc.
- 626 posts flagged as life-threatening or criminal were escalated to the 105 hotline, including 553 expressing suicidality
- Girls reach out and more than boys: 2,631 posts were from girls, compared to 1,041 posts from boys
- Most responses were to posts in the Stips forum, but volunteers also engaged on other forums such as FXP, AskPeople and on the Bureau’s Instagram page
Online therapy – online therapy and psychological assistance for children and youth abused online
After handling incidents at the 105 hotline, when needed, victims and their parents can be referred by the professional staff at the 105 hotline’s civilian partnerships desk, to the Online Therapy and Assistance center. This center, established in collaboration with the Child Online Protection Bureau and National Insurance Institute funds, is run by ELEM, a nonprofit organization, and offers online therapy sessions with specialists in online abuse. Support includes six free online therapy sessions with psychologists or clinical social workers.
Online Therapy and Assistance center – 2024 Data
- 144 families received therapy in incidents of online harm to minors.
- Of the families who received therapy, 57% of the victims were girls and 43% were boys.
- The victims treated were 12-14 years old.
- The most common incidents requiring therapy involved cyberbullying and sexual offenses.
The Child Online Protection Bureau – Unit 105 is a one-of-a-kind initiative, with no parallel anywhere in the world. The Bureau is led by the Ministry of National Security and the Israel Police – Lahav 433, in partnership with the Ministries of Education, Health, Welfare and Social Affairs and Justice. If a minor is harmed online, contact the 105 hotline by phone or through the online form, available 24/7.
