Horrific online sexual exploitation and physical abuse of children is getting worse as authorities concede they are struggling to protect vulnerable kids.

Federal police made the shock admission at a Senate inquiry on Wednesday, conceding they were "one step behind" pedophiles due to technology advancements.

A disturbing rise in exploitation cases was revealed as senior officers and child protection workers were grilled over incidents of abusers targeting childcare centres and kids in care.

Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney said the complexity of online child sexual exploitation continued to grow virtually unchecked.

"I'm going to be honest ... the crime of online child sexual exploitation is not getting better, it's getting worse," he said.

"I do not share t

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