Switzerland launches national campaign against online abuse

More than 10,000 reports since 2022 have brought the scale of online child sexual abuse into sharp focus in Switzerland. Child Protection Switzerland launched its national prevention campaign on September 14, urging parents and other adults to take a more active role in children’s digital lives.

The campaign, titled “Being there”, responds to the way young people move through online spaces every day. Children use gaming platforms, social networks, WhatsApp and search tools for school, often switching between several services within hours. Each platform brings different risks, including unwanted contact, manipulation and pressure to share intimate images.

The 2024 JAMES study found that more than one in four teenagers in Switzerland had been asked to send intimate photos. The figure underlines how frequently young people encounter sexualised demands online, whether from peers or unknown users.

Child Protection Switzerland is presenting the campaign as a practical guide for adults. Its message focuses on everyday supervision and communication rather than technical expertise. A campaign video shows how adults can support young people’s safety in the digital world while remaining engaged with how they use connected devices.

“Being there” starts with conversations, boundaries and example-setting, according to Child Protection Switzerland. The organisation is asking adults to listen to young people, agree on clear rules for digital-media use and follow those rules themselves.

The guidance addresses a familiar challenge for families: children may spend many hours online, while adults do not always know which services they use or how those platforms work. Clear agreements can cover when devices are used, which apps are permitted, how private accounts should remain and what a child should do after receiving disturbing content or an unwanted request.

The campaign also places communication at the centre of prevention. Young people need to know that they can tell a trusted adult when someone pressures them for an intimate image, threatens them or attempts to move a conversation into a more private channel. Adults can create that opening by listening without immediately taking away a device or blaming the child.

Child Protection Switzerland says children and young people have the right to digital spaces free from exploitation, violence and manipulation. The campaign’s public video translates that principle into guidance for daily family life.

The NGO says responsibility cannot rest with parents alone. Child Protection Switzerland is calling for effective legal provisions in the draft Federal Act on Communication Platforms, known as LPCom. The proposed framework is part of a broader debate over how digital services should protect children in Switzerland.

The organisation argues that major platforms are not fully assuming their responsibilities. Its position reflects the limits of household supervision. Parents can set rules and monitor use, but they cannot independently control the design of recommendation systems, reporting procedures, age checks or the speed at which platforms respond to abuse reports.

The campaign therefore combines family guidance with a demand for stronger institutional safeguards. Its partners include the Federal Office of Police, known as fedpol, Swiss Crime Prevention and the Youth and Media platform operated by the Federal Office of Social Insurance.

That partnership links prevention in homes with public information and law enforcement expertise. It also gives the campaign a national reach across Switzerland’s different language regions, although the source material does not specify separate regional targets or measures. The LPCom debate will determine how far Switzerland expects communication platforms to go in preventing harm and responding when abuse occurs.

The campaign arrives as online sexual threats evolve across Switzerland. Recent reporting has highlighted the rise of deepfakes, sextortion and other forms of digital sexual violence targeting young people. The national initiative does not present one technology or one app as the sole source of danger. It focuses on the points where adults, platforms and public authorities can intervene.

For families, that means keeping communication open before a crisis occurs. Young people should know how to report abusive material, preserve relevant evidence and seek help after a threat or request for intimate images. Adults also need to understand that embarrassment can delay disclosure, particularly when a young person fears punishment or loss of access to a device.

The more than 10,000 reports received by clickandstop.ch since 2022 provide a measure of the material reaching Swiss reporting channels. The JAMES finding on requests for intimate photos shows the pressure young people may face even when no image is ultimately sent.

The campaign’s next test will be practical impact: whether its advice reaches households, schools and youth services, and whether Switzerland’s regulatory response gives platforms clear duties. Its message is direct: adults need to stay involved as children’s online lives expand.