Entering 2026 with Purpose

As we begin 2026, I’m filled with both deep gratitude and renewed determination. Each year, the digital world seems to evolve faster than the one before. This brings new challenges, new possibilities, and a growing urgency to our mission. In this moment of rapid change, our resolve is clear: we will transform how children are protected from sexual abuse and exploitation in the digital age.

At Thorn, we’ve never been more prepared to meet this moment. In 2025, we strengthened the foundation of a true digital safety net for children. In the year ahead, we’ll continue to build it. We will deepen what works and expand on what’s needed. Together, we’re shaping a future where safety is built in, not bolted on. 

Accelerating technical innovation

In 2026, Thorn will continue to lead the way by using technology to protect children at scale. Our technical teams are building on years of machine learning innovation to help platforms and investigators detect and respond to child sexual abuse material faster and with greater precision.

This next generation of technology goes beyond detecting potential abuse. By adding deeper context about what’s being seen — like victim maturity, severity, or type of harm depicted — we’re helping investigators focus on the most urgent cases and protect those victims more quickly.

Our tools are evolving as perpetrators turn to new tactics. We are advancing detection of suspected AI-generated CSAM and stylized content meant to evade existing detection. These advancements are more than technical progress – they reflect a clear commitment to meet emerging threats head-on and to keep closing critical gaps that leave children vulnerable.

Strengthening victim identification

Behind every child sexual abuse material (CSAM) file detected is a child who deserves to be found and brought to safety. In 2026, we’ll continue to strengthen the tools that help investigators identify victims faster. We will empower those on the frontlines with technology that makes an overwhelming job more manageable.

Our work this year focuses on refining and optimizing the systems investigators rely on every day. We’ll ensure they have access to the best tools and intelligence available. By improving speed, detection capabilities, and usability, we’re helping frontline defenders spend less time sorting through overwhelming volumes of material. That gives them more time to bring children out of harm’s way.

Equipped with our latest technical innovations, investigators will have access to more granular information about abuse material content. This empowers them to triage massive queues of harmful content more effectively. It’s a critical need as the volume of suspected CSAM reported continues to rise each year.

Provide global guidance from our research and insights

Understanding how harm evolves online is essential to stopping it. We’ll continue to conduct research to map emerging risks for youth online and share the insights needed to strengthen child protection.

Our team strives to bring clarity to a complex issue. It’s how we shape the global conversation around the role of technology in protecting children. From understanding new patterns of grooming and sextortion to exploring how generative AI is changing the threat landscape, Thorn’s research provides partners across tech, policy, and law enforcement with the information they need to act.

This work ensures that our solutions, and the child safety ecosystem we help strengthen, stay grounded in data. Most importantly, it elevates the lived realities of young people growing up online. It’s a critical step in  moving from reacting to harm to preventing it altogether.

Looking ahead

As we enter this next year, Thorn’s mission remains clear: to transform how children are protected in the digital age. The challenges before us are complex. The opportunity for progress has never been greater.

None of this work would be possible without our community of supporters who stand with us every step of the way. Together, we’re proving that technology can be a force for good — and that a safer digital world for every child is within reach.