Calls from children experiencing self-harm urges or suicidal thoughts to the counselling helpline 124 123 increased in 2025, according to the Bulgarian Centre for Safer Internet.
The Centre reported a specific case in which a counsellor alerted police and social services after a nine-year-old child contacted the helpline seeking help. The counsellor remained on the line with the child until the authorities located them and prevented a potentially fatal outcome.
Ahead of Safer Internet Day on 10 February, the Centre said data from the past year showed growing engagement from parents seeking support, alongside a continuing struggle to combat online bullying and sexual exploitation.
The number of parents and teachers seeking help rose by 16%, now accounting for 42% of all calls. The second-largest group contacting the helpline or online chat service were teenagers aged between 11 and 18, who made up 40% of all calls.
Children aged 11 to 13 were identified as the most vulnerable group in cases of online bullying, according to the Centre’s data. Extortion with nude photos and videos primarily affects girls aged between 13 and 16. Serious concerns also remain around the misuse of personal data and digital identities, online crime and fraud, as well as children’s exposure to harmful online content.
The platforms where children in Bulgaria most frequently encounter problems are Instagram, TikTok, Discord, Facebook/Messenger and Viber.
SafeNet.bg also processes reports received through the national hotline for reporting sexual extortion and child sexual abuse material. In the vast majority of cases, a single report leads to the identification of platforms and addresses hosting large volumes of such material, which the Centre then reviews and reports.
In 2025, more than 3.5 million images and videos were identified and processed — a doubling compared with the previous year. Around 6% of the material was reported to Bulgarian investigative and law enforcement authorities as being hosted on IP addresses located in Bulgaria. The remaining material was forwarded to INHOPE, the international network of hotlines.
During 2025, the Bulgarian Centre for Safer Internet reached a further 40,000 people through educational activities.
As part of Safer Internet Month, the Centre has published a special resource titled “Top 5 Red Flags for Online Problems” — a short and accessible guide for children and parents, now available for download from the Centre’s website, safenet.bg.
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