At least 20 million children across 21 countries fall victim to sexual abuse and exploitation via digital platforms each year, according to UNICEF, the United Nations children’s agency. A recent report by the organization reveals that in countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, more than one in five children aged 12 to 17 have been targeted for sexual harassment online. The report, released on Thursday, is based on a survey of 21,000 internet-using children across these 21 nations conducted between 2020 and 2025.
The findings show that in the surveyed countries, over 15 million children were forced to view sexual content against their will, 9 million were pressured into sexual conversations or exchanging sexual images, and approximately 4 million had their own sexual images circulated online without their consent. Social media platforms were the medium for more than half of these incidents. Specifically, Facebook was involved in 50% of cases, WhatsApp in 29%, Instagram in 24%, Snapchat in 13%, and TikTok in 12%.
The report further notes that fewer than 1% of these abuse cases are reported to the police, social workers, or helplines, and over 40% of the affected children never speak to anyone about the incident. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell described this as a heartbreaking reality: children are falling victim to unwanted sexual exploitation and psychological distress in the very digital spaces where they study, play, and connect with friends. Researchers warned that children subjected to technology-facilitated sexual abuse are four times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and engage in self-harm. This risk was found to be eight times higher in Mexico and North Macedonia, and seven times higher in Pakistan.
Recently, the tech company Meta reached a historic $18 billion settlement in a lawsuit regarding negligence in child safety in the United States. UNICEF has emphasized that to make the online world safe for children, technology companies must fundamentally alter their platform designs, while the state and policymakers must take responsibility for ensuring strict oversight.
