The Safer Internet Hotline is an online reporting platform where internet users can report any offensive, harmful, or illegal content (including paedophilic, illegal pornographic content) found on the internet. The platform is operated in Hungary by the International Children’s Safety Service.


In the first half of 2022, the International Children’s Safety Service received a total of 3,234 reports (this represents a total of 6,886 different links). Feedback was requested by reporters only in very few cases, typically only from those who were personally involved (e.g. content shared without consent, harassment, etc.). Important to note is that the Safer Internet Hotline provides the possibility to report anonymously.

Hungarian users encounter paedophile content hosted from abroad

88% of reports received were paedophilic content, and 7% were of violent content. There are relatively few reports of racism, xenophobia, drug abuse, online harassment or other harmful content. From Hungary's perspective, it is reassuring that none of the content submitted was hosted in Hungary. Most notifications (79%) were of US-hosted content. It's important to note that many innocent-looking pictures of children shared by their parents end up on the dark web as a result of criminal activity.

The situation of child cartoon pornography in Hungary

The depiction of pornography in cartoons, manga comics or digitally created but realistic depictions of paedophilia is illegal in most EU countries. Unfortunately, the Hungarian legislation is not clear enough on whether such content is illegal, which is why the police do not prosecute such materials. CSAM and cartoons submitted to the International Children’s Safety Service Hotline showed an increasing trend in the first half of the year.


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