An estimated one in five internet-using children aged 12 to 17 experienced some form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse within a year across 21 countries studied by UNICEF.
The UN agency estimated that the figure represented about 20 million children, based on nationally representative surveys involving roughly 21,000 young internet users and interviews with 100 people who experienced abuse during childhood.
Social media emerged as the most common setting for the incidents, accounting for nearly 60 percent of cases. Online games accounted for another 14 percent, according to the report Through Children’s Eyes: How Digital Technologies Enable Child Sexual Abuse.
The forms of abuse varied. More than 15 million children encountered unwanted sexual content, around 9 million were pressured into sexual conversations or sharing sexual images, and about 4 million had sexual images of themselves distributed without consent.
The findings also challenged the perception that online abuse primarily comes from strangers. UNICEF found that 57 percent of cases involved someone already known to the child, including peers, friends, romantic partners or relatives. Another 38 percent involved perpetrators first encountered online.
Researchers found a strong association between such experiences and serious emotional distress. Children who experienced technology-facilitated sexual exploitation were four times more likely to report suicidal thoughts or behaviors and self-harm, while also reporting higher levels of anxiety.
Despite the impact, more than 40 percent of incidents were never disclosed to anyone and fewer than 1 percent reached authorities such as police, social workers or helplines. UNICEF said uncertainty over where or whom to approach for help was the most commonly cited reason for remaining silent.
UNICEF called for tighter online safeguards, stronger laws and enforcement, better reporting and support systems, and additional protections from technology companies. The agency cautioned that its survey estimates represented internet-using children rather than the entire child population, particularly in countries where internet access remains limited.