One in five children in 21 nations faced tech-facilitated sexual abuse: UNICEF
A new UNICEF report reveals that one in five children across 21 countries have experienced technology-facilitated sexual abuse. The findings indicate that social media platforms are the primary venues for this exploitation, often involving perpetrators known to the victims.
Why it matters
This report underscores a critical global crisis regarding child safety in digital spaces and the urgent need for better platform regulation.
About 20 million children aged 12 to 17 – one in five across 21 countries – were sexually exploited by perpetrators using technology such as social media, according to a UN Children’s Fund ( UNICEF ) report released on Thursday.
More than 15 million children in this age group were exposed to unwanted sexual content, nine million were asked to engage in sexual conversations or share sexual images against their will and four million had sexual images of themselves shared without their consent.
UNICEF said the total figures are likely much higher .
“The report reveals a painful reality,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said. “More than 20 million children across the countries studied were subjected to unwanted explicit sexual content or exploitation online, often in the digital spaces where they learn, play and connect with friends.”
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