20 million children a year face online sexual abuse, UNICEF says
Summary
A UNICEF report says about 20 million children in 21 countries face online sexual abuse each year. The report shows that social media platforms, especially Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, play a big role in these cases, but very few incidents are reported to authorities.Key Facts
- Around 20 million children aged 12 to 17 in 21 countries experience online sexual abuse yearly.
- More than one in five children aged 12 to 17 in regions like Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe are targeted.
- Over 15 million children saw unwanted sexual content; 9 million were pressured to share sexual images or conversations; 4 million had their sexual images shared without permission.
- Social media accounts for over 60% of abuse cases, with Facebook involved in 50% of these cases, WhatsApp 29%, Instagram 24%, and SnapChat 13%.
- Less than 1% of cases are reported to authorities, indicating most abuse goes unreported.
- UNICEF surveyed 21,000 children between 2020-2021 and 2024-2025 and interviewed 100 young abuse survivors.
- Social media company Meta recently agreed to an $18 billion US settlement related to child safety issues on its platforms.
- Abuse can start in real-world public places like schools and neighborhoods, then move to online platforms where further harm occurs.
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