1 in 5 children face child sexual abuse online: UNICEF

A new UNICEF report reveals that nearly one in five children who use the internet across 21 countries have experienced online sexual exploitation or abuse in the past year. The research, titled "Through Children's Eyes: How Digital Technologies Enable Child Sexual Abuse," surveyed around 21,000 internet users aged 12 to 17 and interviewed 100 young people who had been abused as children.

The study estimates that approximately 20 million children in the surveyed countries were sexually exploited or abused through digital technologies in a single year. Unwanted sexual content exposure affected more than 15 million children, while over 9 million faced pressure for sexual conversations or to share sexual images. About 4 million children had sexual images shared without their consent.

In Thailand, the research included data from 12 countries, with the majority of cases occurring on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and WhatsApp. About 57% of cases involved someone the child already knew, challenging the notion that online abuse primarily comes from strangers. Less than 1% of experiences were reported to authorities, with over 40% of cases going unreported.

Children who suffered online abuse were four times more likely to have suicidal thoughts or engage in self-harm, and reported anxiety levels around 11 percentage points higher than their peers. Experts urge governments, regulators, and technology companies to build safety into products from the beginning instead of relying on children and parents to manage risks after harm has occurred.