Key facts
- Approximately 20 million internet-using children across 21 countries were subjected to sexual exploitation or abuse on digital platforms in one year.
- More than one in five children aged 12-17 experienced at least one form of online sexual abuse or exploitation.
- Key forms of abuse included unwanted sexual content exposure, pressure into sexual conversations, and non-consensual sharing of sexual images.
- Social media platforms were the most common sites for abuse, followed by online gaming.
- Over half of the cases involved perpetrators known to the child.
- An estimated 1.1 million children reported having AI-generated sexual images or videos created depicting them.
A new report by the U.N. children's charity UNICEF estimates that approximately 20 million internet-using children across 21 countries were subjected to sexual exploitation or abuse on digital platforms in a single year. The research, based on surveys conducted between 2020 and 2025, found that over one in five children aged 12 to 17 experienced at least one form of online sexual abuse or exploitation.
Key findings indicate that 15 million children were exposed to unwanted sexual content, 9 million were pressured into sexual conversations or sharing sexual images, and 4 million had sexual images shared without their consent. The report highlights that almost 60% of reported abuse occurred on social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, with 14% taking place in online gaming.
More than half of the cases involved someone the child already knew, such as friends, relatives, or romantic partners, while 38% of children first encountered the perpetrator online. The report also noted growing concerns over artificial intelligence, with an estimated 1.1 million children in nine surveyed countries reporting AI-generated sexual images or videos depicting them.
Children who experienced tech-facilitated sexual exploitation were found to be around four times more likely to report suicidal thoughts or self-harm and reported significantly higher levels of anxiety. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated that these experiences cause profound emotional and mental distress, with many children suffering in silence.
Tech companies like Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok responded to the report, with Meta emphasizing its fight against child exploitation and defining WhatsApp as a private messaging app. Snapchat highlighted its proactive detection and user reporting tools, while TikTok mentioned its safeguards for minors. UNICEF urged governments and technology companies to strengthen safety measures, update laws to address evolving forms of abuse including AI-generated content, and improve child protection and reporting systems.