New Zealand is facing a new era of digital harm driven by AI-generated abuse, deception and harassment, according to new data released by Netsafe in its 20242025 Annual Review. The organisation reports the highest levels of harmful digital communications since the Harmful Digital Communications Act (HDCA) came into force nearly a decade ago exposing the laws growing inability to respond to rapidly evolving online threats.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, Netsafe received 26,105 reports of digital harm, including 6,404 HDCA complaints compared with just 600 in the Acts first year. Online scams also intensified, with 14,407 reports and nearly NZ$12 million in verified losses, fuelled by AI-generated imagery, deepfake impersonation and real-time manipulation tactics.
The surge was so severe Netsafe almost exhausted its entire annual quota of HDCA cases, raising questions about the sustainability of New Zealands existing online safety framework.
Chief Executive Brent Carey said AI-driven harm is escalating faster than current laws can respond.We are seeing a boom in AI-generated fake nudes, sextortion, deception, real-time impersonation scams and digitally manipulated abuse. These are harms that simply didnt exist when the HDCA was drafted. The law cannot keep pace and New Zealanders are paying the price.
AI-driven exploitation rising rapidly
Netsafe reports significant growth in:
- AI-generated intimate images and fake nudes, especially impacting young people
- Sextortion targeting both teens and adults
- Celebrity and public-figure impersonation using deepfake audio and video
- Digitally altered images used for coercion, harassment and extortion
AI tools are now enabling offenders to produce convincing fake content within seconds including deepfake voices of parents used to manipulate victims during scam calls.
Carey says the digital environment has shifted far beyond what the HDCA was built for. Were now in an environment of virtual and augmented reality, decentralised communication platforms, encryption, hyper-real deepfakes, globalised scam networks and AI-amplified abuse.
Earlier work with the Helen Clark Foundation warned that online harm is now a threat to social cohesion eroding New Zealanders ability to trust information and deepening polarisation.
Youth, Māori, LGBTQIA+ and Pacific communities most affected
- Netsafes data highlights that:
- Young people are heavily targeted with AI fake nudes and sextortion
- Māori, LGBTQIA+ and Pacific communities experience higher rates of digital harm
- Women remain the primary victims of intimate-image abuse
- Smaller cities including Nelson and Canterbury show disproportionately high reporting
Partnerships with Save the Children NZ, Youthline and rangatahi-led groups have helped Netsafe expand youth-focused responses and ensure young peoples voices inform national solutions.
Record harm, flat funding and mounting pressure
Despite unprecedented demand:
- 95% of HDCA complaints were resolved without court action
- 98% were resolved within 15 days
- Netsafes national scams helpline still has no recurring government funding and relies on philanthropy and corporate support
Carey warns the current system cannot withstand escalating digital crime. We have the highest levels of digital harm in New Zealands history, but were operating under an Act that hasnt been reviewed in more than a decade. There is still no national anti-scam strategy or Anti-Scam Centre, even as scams cost the economy an estimated NZ$3 billion annually.
Netsafe expands services as threats surge
- Over the past year, Netsafe has:
- Opened a new Dunedin office to strengthen South Island support
- Acquired Sticks N Stones to expand anti-bullying programmes nationwide
- Delivered new educational resources on AI-driven harms, online dating and body-image safety
- Relaunched its AI-powered Re:Scam.org platform to counter AI-enabled scamming
- Run award-winning awareness campaigns such as SpicyNoods.nz
- Contributed to global online safety initiatives via the Global Online Safety Regulators Forum
- Supported Pacific, Southeast Asian and realm partners in building online safety systems
Call for urgent HDCA modernisation
With the HDCA nearing its 10-year anniversary, Netsafe is calling on the Ministry of Justice to lead a full review of the legislation. Carey says New Zealand now needs:
- a modernised HDCA fit for an AI-driven era
- a national anti-scam strategy
- a properly funded, nationwide victim-support and prevention system
Short-term fixes and piecemeal projects will not protect New Zealanders in the long run, Carey said.
Netsafes full Year in Review 20242025 is now available.