Project Intercept is our global online prevention programme, funded by Nominet. We’re working to prevent child sexual abuse online, through innovative partnerships with technology companies.
Through our partnerships with companies such as Google, TikTok, and Mega, we implement warning messages to deter people searching, viewing, or sharing sexual images of children, or having sexual conversations with children online. These warnings disrupt online child sexual abuse at the moment it’s happening and prevent countless children from being harmed.
Our impact: warning messages have been triggered more than 70 million times
In 2024 and 2025, warning messages on online platforms have been triggered more than 95,000 times per day by users seeking online sexual images of children.
Almost 700,000 people chose to click through for help to change their behaviour via Stop It Now.
What began as a question – can we interrupt harmful behaviour at the point of risk? – has resulted in a growing body of evidence, partnerships and real-world implementation.
We’ve disrupted harm, encouraged people to seek help, influenced regulation, and enhanced research into the prevention of online child sexual abuse.
Join our impact webinar
On 3 June 2026 we’re hosting a lunchtime webinar with Google and our funder Nominet with a Q&A panel to explore the findings in the report and discuss the possibilities of warning messages for deterrence in more detail.
The problem: why we need Project Intercept
There are growing numbers of people viewing sexual images of children online. It’s a global problem that requires prevention at scale. People searching, sharing and creating child sexual abuse material on the internet currently do so largely unchallenged. New AI technologies accelerate the spread of online child sexual abuse. Online platforms where abuse may occur don’t have a consistent approach to preventing and deterring users from committing real harm to children.
Project Intercept addresses a critical gap by introducing friction to the offender’s pathway, investigating what happens if you disrupt risky and harmful behaviour, make the consequences clear, and offer a route to help.
In a world where there’s so much negative news about child sexual abuse material, it’s so refreshing and reassuring as a survivor to hear about the great work being done in Project Intercept.
How warning messages work
Our approach is grounded in more than 30 years of clinical expertise working with people who have committed child sex offences, or are at risk of doing so. Our practitioners speak to people concerned about their own sexual thoughts or behaviour towards children every day. Their expertise directly informs the design, tone, and delivery of Project Intercept interventions.
Warnings intercept at the moment of risk, and they encourage behaviour change. The message interrupts risky behaviour, prompts reflection, and directs people towards confidential support available through our Stop It Now services. We’ve shown that online safety can go beyond blocking and removing access to illegal content, to diverting people from the potential harm they could cause through their online sexual behaviour.
From our research with people who have offended, we know that there are four key messages that warnings need to include:
- Viewing sexual images of children and having online sexual conversations with children is a crime
- It causes harm to children
- There are consequences for the offender
- But there is help available to stop and change
After I got the warning, I had a look around the Stop It Now modules. I found the modules on addiction and pornography very helpful. About two months ago I gave up adult sites. I want to keep my mind occupied and more productive.
Partner with us
OpenAI, Meta, TikTok, Mega, Stability AI, Civitai, BT, MovieStarPlanet, Bing, Google, Aylo, and OnlyFans are among the technology companies who have deployed warning messages. Our warnings are active in a range of sectors including file-sharing, search, social media and pornography platforms. We have warnings in end-to-end encrypted and AI chatbot spaces.
Project Intercept is designed to complement existing Trust and Safety measures that technology companies are already taking. Warnings can be deployed quickly, adapted over time, and tailored to different products, jurisdictions, and risk profiles.
Find out more about our Chatbot project and our years of deterrence campaigning.
Working with Project Intercept has brought me around to the side of prevention more. I don't really think I was much of a believer in it, if I'm being honest. I don't think I was really convinced of its effectiveness, and I think that the work with Lucy Faithfull made me much more open to it and really supportive of what they were doing.
Explore how warning messages could support your Trust and Safety strategy by getting in touch with us at intercept@lucyfaithfull.org.uk.