Skip to content
Thorn

🌟 Become a Child Safety Champion: Free six-week course on protecting kids

Blog & News

Stay up to date on all things Thorn

Featured

4 min read

The Issue

A former investigator’s journey into dark web child safety

The internet’s hidden corners harbor some of humanity’s darkest crimes. Investigators like Pete Manning dedicate their careers to navigating these dangerous digital spaces, working tirelessly to protect children from exploitation […]

Read Article

What’s trending now?

7 min read

Research

1 in 3 young boys are targeted online: What the new 2024 Youth Perspectives data tells us

There are many online platforms where boys go to build worlds, compete with friends, and simply be kids. But our 2024 research reveals a troubling reality: these digital playgrounds are […]

Read Article

6 min read

The Issue

AI-generated child sexual abuse: The new digital threat we must confront now

Generative AI is already shaping how we create, share, and consume content online. These tools can produce new images, videos, text, and audio in seconds, and often with just a […]

Read Article

9 min read

Research

The state of sextortion in 2025

In front of screens across America, a quiet crisis is unfolding. Sexual extortion has become a very real threat that’s casting a dark shadow over young lives. Thorn’s latest research, […]

Read Article

Get the latest delivered to your inbox

News

View All Articles

5 min read

News

Thorn celebrates the passage of the Take It Down Act

One of the latest threats targeting teens and children is deepfake nudes. These AI-generated images depict real people in sexually suggestive or explicit situations or activities, and can be nearly […]

Read Article

6 min read

News

Thorn’s Safety by Design for Generative AI: Progress Reports

Safety By Design: Industry Commitments As part of Thorn and All Tech Is Human’s Safety By Design initiative, some of the world’s leading AI companies have made a significant commitment […]

Read Article

2 min read

News

Thorn Welcomes Two New Board Members

We are thrilled to announce the addition of two exceptional leaders to Thorn’s Board of Directors: Mike Abbott and John Bennett. Their combined wealth of experience in technology, artificial intelligence, […]

Read Article

6 min read

News

Thorn’s Safety by Design for Generative AI: 3-Month Progress Report on Civitai and Metaphysic

Three months ago, some of the world’s most influential AI leaders made a groundbreaking commitment to protect children from the misuse of generative AI technologies. In collaboration with Thorn and […]

Read Article

Technology for Good

View All Articles

4 min read

Technology for Good

Accelerating child victim identification: How technology transforms investigations

Investigators must review images or video of a child being sexually abused from various sources—CyberTips from social media platforms, dark web activity, or devices seized as the result of a […]

Read Article

7 min read

Technology for Good

Research and insights: Connecting and moving the entire child safety ecosystem forward

  Technology is moving faster than ever, and so are the ways it intertwines in young people’s lives. New apps, platforms, social trends, and cultural norms constantly influence young people’s […]

Read Article

6 min read

Technology for Good

Technical Innovation: How Thorn uses technology to transform child protection with a safer internet

Thorn’s CSAM classifier finds new or previously unknown CSAM, and can help reduce the time it takes to find a victim and remove them from harm.

Read Article

6 min read

Technology for Good

How Thorn Makes the Internet Safer & Helps Stop the Cycle of Abuse

For young people, the internet is a place for self-discovery, socializing, and building meaningful connections online. But these same spaces can also be used by perpetrators who target children for […]

Read Article

Support Us

View All Articles

5 min read

Support Us

How Jen Kao and Adam Leibsohn found their path to protecting children with Thorn

Behind every member of Thorn’s community of donors lies a unique human story. For Jen Kao and Adam Leibsohn, their path to joining our mission wasn’t just about support—it was […]

Read Article

6 min read

Support Us

Donor Spotlight: A Conversation with Lauren Bush Lauren on Protecting Children in the Digital Age

Why Lauren Gives to Thorn In an increasingly interconnected and digital world, the safety of our children online has never been more critical. We recently had the privilege of sitting […]

Read Article

3 min read

Support Us

Thorn Messages of Support

What keeps professionals dedicated to defending children from sexual abuse? Collaboration, grit, and vision. Hear four diverse perspectives from our team.

Read Article

4 min read

News Support Us

Thorn’s 2023 Achievements To Date

Thorn addresses child sexual abuse from three focus areas: accelerate victim identification, equip platforms to stop the viral spread of CSAM, and empower the public with resources for youth and their caregivers to navigate digital safety conversations.

Read Article

The Issue

View All Articles

4 min read

The Issue

A former investigator’s journey into dark web child safety

The internet’s hidden corners harbor some of humanity’s darkest crimes. Investigators like Pete Manning dedicate their careers to navigating these dangerous digital spaces, working tirelessly to protect children from exploitation […]

Read Article

6 min read

The Issue

AI-generated child sexual abuse: The new digital threat we must confront now

Generative AI is already shaping how we create, share, and consume content online. These tools can produce new images, videos, text, and audio in seconds, and often with just a […]

Read Article

5 min read

The Issue

What the 2024 NCMEC CyberTipline Report says about child safety

Each year, the child safety ecosystem looks to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline Report for a snapshot of the online exploitation landscape. The data—how many reports […]

Read Article

Research

View All Articles

7 min read

Research

1 in 3 young boys are targeted online: What the new 2024 Youth Perspectives data tells us

There are many online platforms where boys go to build worlds, compete with friends, and simply be kids. But our 2024 research reveals a troubling reality: these digital playgrounds are […]

Read Article

9 min read

Research

The state of sextortion in 2025

In front of screens across America, a quiet crisis is unfolding. Sexual extortion has become a very real threat that’s casting a dark shadow over young lives. Thorn’s latest research, […]

Read Article

7 min read

Research

Commodified Sexual Interactions: How money and clout are obscuring risk for youth online

What are “commodified sexual interactions?”  As young people mature, they naturally explore identity, build relationships, and find ways to express themselves. Today’s children are no different, except that they are […]

Read Article

Our Bold Goal

View All Articles

6 min read

Our Bold Goal

How the new Thorn mission shapes our next chapter.

Our children are growing up in a digital world, and predators are taking advantage of this new reality—exploiting children in these digital spaces and creating new vulnerabilities for them.  Every […]

Read Article

26 min read

Our Bold Goal

Ending Online Child Exploitation: A Conversation with Thorn CEO Julie Cordua and Carol Cone

The statistics are stark and sobering: online child sexual abuse has reached crisis levels, with reports increasing exponentially in recent years. As technology evolves and becomes more integrated into children’s […]

Read Article

3 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn CEO Julie Cordua: My Vision for 2025

As we begin 2025, I’m filled with both determination and hope as I reflect on Thorn’s journey and the critical work that lies ahead.  The digital landscape continues to evolve […]

Read Article

6 min read

Our Bold Goal

12 Years of Thorn

12 years ago this month, Thorn set out with a bold purpose: to build technology to fight the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. It was an ambitious goal, but […]

Read Article

5 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn CEO Julie Cordua: My Vision for 2024

As we look ahead to 2024, I’m taking time to reflect on the significant strides Thorn has made last year in our vital mission to defend children from sexual abuse.  […]

Read Article

3 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn CEO Julie Cordua: My Vision for 2023

As we look ahead to 2023, I’m taking a moment to pause and reflect on the work Thorn is doing to create a different – a better – future for our children. 

Read Article

5 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn at Ten: A Decade of Progress

In Thorn’s first decade, the digital pioneer became a powerhouse in defending children from sexual abuse. Check out our proudest moments in our latest blog.

Read Article

4 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn CEO Julie Cordua: My vision for 2022

“​​A world where every child can simply be a kid—where they can live connected lives without being sexually exploited or revictimized.” This is a key message from what I call […]

Read Article

4 min read

Our Bold Goal

Thorn turns 9: Celebrating our top 9 moments from 2021

On this day 9 years ago, Thorn was born. It was comprised of a handful of people just beginning to understand the role of technology in child sexual abuse. Today, […]

Read Article

Prevention

View All Articles

7 min read

Prevention

Sextortion: What it is, How it Happens and Who’s at Risk

Sextortion is when someone’s sexual imagery is used to extort them. Put simply, it’s when someone blackmails or threatens to expose another person’s sexual imagery to make that person do something they don’t want to do, like send more compromising photos, maintain contact, or send money.

Read Article

3 min read

Prevention

“I thought we were friends”: A Sextortion Story

When a young boy begins chatting with a “friend” during a video game, she lures him in and abuses his trust, engaging in sextortion for his nudes.

Read Article

6 min read

Prevention

Sextortion: What to do if someone is blackmailing you with nudes

We discuss how sextortion happens and what to do if it happens to you.

Read Article

6 min read

Prevention

Online grooming: What it is, how it happens, and how to defend children

Finding something in common. Telling personal stories. Sharing something just a little bit vulnerable and creating a bond. We all do this to build trust. But what if someone takes that trust to a place where we never want it to go?

Read Article

Life at Thorn

View All Articles

Melissa

3 min read

Life at Thorn

Meet the Team: A Conversation with Melissa Stroebel

At Thorn, we bring together the best hearts and minds from tech, child protection, business and nonprofit fields to create powerful products and programs to defend children from sexual abuse. […]

Read Article

4 min read

Life at Thorn Prevention

Meet the Team: A Conversation with Dr. Rebecca Portnoff

Dr. Rebecca Portnoff, Head of Data Science at Thorn, shares more about her career and what working to defend children with tech is like.

Read Article

3 min read

Life at Thorn

10 Wellness Tips for World Mental Health Day

Once you know about child sexual abuse, you can’t un-know it. In order to stay resilient in the fight to defend children from sexual abuse, protecting mental health is paramount. 

Read Article