20 Million Children Faced Online Sexual Abuse In A Year Across 21 Nations: UN
A new UNICEF report reveals that approximately 20 million internet-using children across 21 nations faced online sexual abuse or exploitation in a single year, with nearly 60% of cases occurring on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. The study, one of the largest of its kind, highlights the pervasive nature of this global issue.
Why it matters
This report underscores the severe and widespread threat of online child sexual abuse, emphasizing the urgent need for digital platforms to implement stronger safety measures and for global efforts to protect children in the digital space.
About 20 million internet-using children across 21 countries were subjected to sexual exploitation or abuse on digital platforms in a single year, with most cases occurring on social media platforms, a new report by the UN children's charity said on Thursday.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 on online platforms in the year before being surveyed, the UNICEF report estimated. Roughly 15 million children in the countries surveyed 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 found.The number of children subjected to this abuse globally is certain to run into many tens of millions, it said.The research, which UNICEF described as one of the largest studies of its kind,…
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