An estimated 20 million children aged 12 to 17, or nearly one in five, experienced at least one form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse within a single year across 21 countries, according to a new UNICEF report.
The report, Through Children’s Eyes: How Digital Technologies Enable Child Sexual Abuse, found that more than 15 million children were exposed to unwanted sexual content, while 9 million were pressured to engage in sexual conversations or share sexual images against their will. An estimated 4 million had sexual images of themselves shared without their consent.
UNICEF said the actual scale of the problem could be significantly higher because many incidents go unreported.
Nearly 60% of cases occurred on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and WhatsApp, while 14% occurred in online games, according to the report.
The findings also showed that 57% of cases involved someone the child already knew, including peers, romantic partners, friends or family members. Meanwhile, 38% of children first encountered the perpetrator online.
UNICEF said children who experienced technology-facilitated sexual exploitation were four times more likely to report suicidal thoughts or behaviors and self-harm and had significantly higher levels of anxiety.
More than 40% of cases were never disclosed to anyone, while fewer than 1% were reported to authorities, including police, social workers or helplines. UNICEF said one of the main reasons children remained silent was that they did not know where to seek help or whom to tell.
“All of us, including governments and technology companies, must do more to protect children online,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said.
The report calls for stronger child-safety measures on digital platforms, tighter laws and regulation, improved reporting and support systems, and greater accountability for technology companies.
The findings are based on nationally representative surveys of about 21,000 internet-using children aged 12 to 17 across 21 countries, as well as interviews with 100 young people who experienced abuse during childhood.
The research was conducted as part of the Disrupting Harm project, jointly implemented by UNICEF, ECPAT International and INTERPOL. (Newswire)
