Unicef estimates tens of millions of children suffer online sexual abuse each year
A report finds that more than one in five children aged 12 to 17 were exposed to unwanted sexual content, pressured into sexual interactions or had sexual images shared without consent.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has released a report estimating that tens of millions of children worldwide experience online sexual abuse or exploitation each year. Conducted through national surveys involving approximately 21,000 internet-using children across 21 countries, the study found that around 20 million children aged 12 to 17 in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe were subjected to sexual exploitation or abuse on digital platforms during a single year.
Social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok were the most common venues for abuse, accounting for nearly 60% of reported cases. Nearly 15 million children were exposed to unwanted sexual content, while 9 million faced pressure to engage in sexual conversations or share sexual images. An estimated 4 million had sexual images shared without their consent.
The report also highlighted the concerning rise of AI-generated sexual images and videos involving children, with an estimated 1.1 million children affected in nine countries.
Despite the prevalence of these issues, fewer than 1% of cases involving children were reported to authorities, such as police, social workers, or helplines. Children who experienced tech-facilitated sexual exploitation were four times more likely to report suicidal thoughts or self-harm and exhibited significantly higher levels of anxiety compared to their peers.
UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell emphasized the profound emotional and mental distress caused by these experiences and called for governments and technology companies to enhance safety measures on digital platforms, update laws to address evolving forms of abuse, and improve child protection and reporting systems. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, acknowledged the importance of implementing recommended safety measures, including defaulting teens into private accounts and preventing adults from messaging teens they are not connected to.
Other companies, such as Snapchat and TikTok, reported actively combating online sexual extortion and building safeguards to protect vulnerable users. However, the report noted that fewer than 1% of cases involving children were reported to the police, social workers, or helplines, indicating a significant need for increased reporting and support systems for victims.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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