UNICEF released a report on September 3, 2026, revealing that approximately 20 million children aged 12 to 17 in 21 countries faced at least one form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse in a single year [1, 2, 3]. The countries surveyed span Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean, with data collected from around 21,000 children through nationwide surveys conducted from 2020 to 2025 [1, 2].

The report shows that nearly 60% of abuse cases happened on social media platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok [1, 4, 3]. About 14% of cases took place on online gaming platforms [1, 4, 3]. UNICEF estimates that 15 million children were exposed to unwanted sexual content against their wishes [1, 5, 4, 2, 3]. Approximately 9 million children were pressured into sexual conversations or asked to share sexual images, while around 4 million had images of themselves shared without consent [1, 5, 4, 2, 3].

More than 57% of abuse involved perpetrators known to the child such as friends, relatives, or romantic partners. Meanwhile, about 38% of children met the abuser for the first time online [1, 4, 3]. Despite the scope of the problem, fewer than 1% of incidents were reported to authorities like police or social workers [5, 4, 2].

UNICEF highlighted serious mental health impacts, noting children experiencing technology-facilitated sexual abuse are roughly four times more likely to have suicidal thoughts, attempt suicide, or self-harm compared to peers [1, 4, 3]. The report also details that about 1.1 million children in nine countries reported AI-generated sexual images or videos of themselves without consent [1, 4].

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated, "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, often in the digital spaces where they learn, play, and connect with friends." She added, "Many children suffer in silence, unsure where to turn for help. We cannot look away." [3]

The report comes as Meta Platforms agreed in 2026 to pay up to $18 billion in settlements related to lawsuits claiming its platforms harm children, and committed to imposing usage limits such as restricting teenage access to two hours daily and blocking access at night [5, 2]. Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and others say they are implementing measures to protect minors and combat child exploitation [1].

UNICEF calls on governments and tech companies to strengthen digital safety laws, improve protections, and enhance reporting mechanisms for children online [1, 4, 3].