Online Abuse: 20 Million Children Affected by Sexual Exploitation — UNICEF

About 20 million children aged 12 to 17 in 21 countries have experienced sexual exploitation facilitated by technology, according to a new report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The report, released on Thursday, revealed that the figure represents one in every five children in the age group studied.

UNICEF said social media platforms accounted for nearly 60 per cent of reported cases, with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and WhatsApp among the platforms where exploitation occurred.

The report found that more than 15 million children were exposed to unwanted sexual content, while nine million were pressured to engage in sexual conversations or share sexual images.

An additional four million children had sexual images depicting them distributed without their consent.

Commenting on the findings, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said: “The report reveals a painful reality.

“More than 20 million children across the countries studied were subjected to unwanted explicit sexual content or exploitation online.”

Russell said children were often abused in the same digital environments they use to learn, play and communicate with friends.

Online gaming platforms also featured prominently in the findings, accounting for 14 per cent of recorded exploitation cases. UNICEF said perpetrators sometimes exploited gaming features to establish relationships and build trust with children.

The report further revealed that 38 per cent of children first encountered their perpetrators online, while anonymity features on digital platforms helped facilitate abuse.

In Montenegro, social media platforms were involved in more than 80 per cent of reported exploitation cases.

The study also showed that the perpetrators were not always strangers. Across the 21 countries, 57 per cent of cases involved people known to the children, including peers, friends and family members.

Researchers said affected children reported experiencing fear, shame, confusion and isolation after being subjected to technology-facilitated sexual exploitation.

The abuse also had significant effects on their emotional wellbeing, sense of security and ability to trust others.

“I didn’t know how to react. I felt a little in shock,” said a young woman from the Dominican Republic, recalling how private images of her were circulated without her consent at the age of 14.

UNICEF said the psychological consequences could be severe, noting that children exposed to technology-aided sexual exploitation were four times more likely to report suicidal thoughts, behaviours and self-harm.

They also reported substantially higher levels of anxiety, while children affected in Pakistan faced more than seven times the risk of self-harm.

Despite the widespread nature of the abuse, UNICEF said more than 40 per cent of cases were never disclosed, and less than one per cent were reported to authorities.

According to the organisation, the most common reason children failed to disclose their experiences was uncertainty over who they could safely tell.

Russell warned that children were suffering serious emotional and mental consequences.

“These experiences cause profound emotional and mental distress.

“Many children suffer in silence, unsure where to turn for help. We cannot look away,” she said.

The UNICEF chief called on governments and technology companies to take stronger steps to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse online.

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