Around 20 million internet-using children aged 12 to 17 across 21 countries experienced sexual exploitation or abuse facilitated by digital technology in a single year, according to a UNICEF report released on Thursday.
Nearly 60% of cases occurred on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat and TikTok, while 14% took place in online games. More than half involved someone the child already knew, such as a friend, relative or romantic partner, while 38% first encountered the perpetrator online.
The report also highlighted growing risks linked to artificial intelligence. UNICEF has separately estimated that at least 1.2 million children across 11 surveyed countries had images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes in a single year.
The research drew on nationally representative surveys of around 21,000 internet-using children across 21 countries, with data collected in two research rounds conducted primarily in 2020-2021 and 2024-2025. The countries included Kenya, Pakistan, Brazil and Serbia.
TikTok said it had also introduced safeguards, including private-by-default accounts for users under 18 and technology designed to detect potentially predatory behavior.
UNICEF urged governments and technology companies to strengthen online safety measures, update laws to address evolving forms of abuse, including AI-generated content, and improve reporting and child-protection systems.
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