UNICEF estimates 20 million children suffered online sexual abuse in one year

About 20 million internet-using children across 21 countries were subjected to sexual exploitation or abuse on digital platforms in a single year, a new UNICEF report said on Thursday.

Most cases occurred on social media platforms.

How many children experience online sexual abuse?

More than one in five children aged 12 to 17 across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe experienced at least one form of sexual abuse or exploitation online in the year before being surveyed, UNICEF estimated.

Roughly 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.

How was the UNICEF research conducted?

The global number of children subjected to this abuse is certain to run into many tens of millions, the report said.

The research, described by UNICEF as one of the largest studies of its kind, drew on nationally representative surveys of around 21,000 internet-using children collected between 2020 and 2025. The 21 countries surveyed included Kenya, Pakistan, Brazil and Serbia.

Which platforms see the most reported abuse?

Almost 60% of reported abuse occurred on social media platforms, led by Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, while 14% took place in online gaming, the report found. A Meta spokesperson said the surveys go as far back as 2020, before the company introduced protections UNICEF recommends, such as automatically defaulting teens into private accounts and preventing adults from messaging teens they are not connected to. Meta added that it defines WhatsApp as a private messaging app, not a social media platform.

"While the report doesn't provide any specific evidence of abuse, we'll continue to fight child exploitation aggressively across our apps and support law enforcement in prosecuting the criminals behind it," the Meta spokesperson said. Snapchat pointed Reuters to a blog post by its global head of platform safety, Jacqueline Beauchere, who said the company was actively combating online sexual extortion through proactive detection, account removals, user reporting tools and safety features. TikTok said it has built safeguards including restricting certain features for younger users, making under-18 accounts private by default, and using technology to detect potentially predatory behaviour.

Who is behind most cases of online abuse?

More than half the cases involved someone the child already knew, including friends, relatives or romantic partners, while 38% of children first encountered the perpetrator online.

Fewer than 1% of cases were reported to the police, a social worker or a helpline, the research found. This suggests most incidents go unrecorded by any formal system.

Is AI making online child abuse worse?

The report also highlighted growing concerns over artificial intelligence. Across nine countries where data was collected, an estimated 1.1 million children reported having AI-generated sexual images or videos created depicting them. Children who experienced tech-facilitated sexual exploitation were around four times more likely to report suicidal thoughts or self-harm, and reported significantly higher levels of anxiety than their peers.

"These experiences cause profound emotional and mental distress. Many children suffer in silence, unsure where to turn for help," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. UNICEF urged governments and technology companies to strengthen safety measures on digital platforms, update laws to address evolving forms of abuse including AI-generated content, and improve child protection and reporting systems.