An estimated 20 million children aged 12 to 17, or nearly one in five, experienced at least one form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse in 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, combines children’s testimonies with survey data to highlight the widespread use of digital technologies to enable or amplify sexual abuse and exploitation, both online and offline.
UNICEF estimates that more than 15 million children were exposed to unwanted sexual content, while around 9 million were pressured into sexual conversations or asked to share sexual images against their wishes. Another 4 million had sexual images of themselves shared without their consent. UNICEF warns that the actual scale could be significantly higher because many children do not report what happened to them.
Nearly 60 percent of reported cases involved social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and WhatsApp. Another 14 percent occurred in online games, with platform features and private communication tools being used to exploit children’s trust.
The findings also challenge the idea that strangers mostly carry out online abuse. Across the countries surveyed, 57 percent of cases involved someone the child already knew, including friends, peers, romantic partners or family members. At the same time, 38 percent of children first encountered the perpetrator online, with fake accounts and private messaging among the methods used to facilitate abuse.
These experiences seriously affected children’s emotional well-being. Children interviewed during the research described feelings of fear, shame, confusion and isolation, with many unsure about what had happened or where they could seek help.
The report also found a strong connection between technology-facilitated abuse and mental health risks. Children who experienced this type of exploitation were four times more likely to report suicidal thoughts or behaviours and self-harm, while also reporting significantly higher levels of anxiety. In Mexico and North Macedonia, the risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviours was more than eight times higher among children who experienced abuse.
Many cases also remain hidden. More than 40 percent of technology-facilitated abuse cases were never disclosed to anyone, while fewer than 1 percent were reported to authorities such as police, social workers or helplines. UNICEF said the most common reason children stayed silent was that they did not know where to go or who to tell.
UNICEF is calling on governments, technology companies and other organizations to make digital platforms safer for children, strengthen laws and accountability, improve reporting and support services, and reduce the responsibility placed on children to protect themselves. The report also calls for stronger family and community support and action against social and gender norms that normalize the sexualization of girls and stigmatize survivors.
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The research is based on nationally representative surveys of approximately 21,000 internet-using children aged 12 to 17 across 21 countries, along with in-depth interviews with 100 young people who experienced abuse during childhood. UNICEF conducted the research as part of the Disrupting Harm project, together with ECPAT International and INTERPOL.
UNICEF: 20 Million Children Faced Technology-Enabled Sexual Abuse
