UNICEF: One in five youths targeted by online sexual abuse

A new UNICEF survey has found that one in five children and teenagers who regularly use the internet were targeted by attempted sexual abuse online within the past year. The findings come from a poll of roughly 21,000 young people aged 12 to 17 across 21 countries.

According to the data, more than 15 million children encountered unwanted sexual content, around 9 million were pressured into sexual conversations or asked to share intimate images, and about 4 million had such images shared without their consent. Researchers caution that the actual scale of the problem is likely even greater than these figures suggest.

Shame keeps victims silent

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said these experiences cause deep emotional and mental distress, with many children suffering in silence because they don't know where to turn for help. The survey found that 41% of victims had never told anyone about what happened, while fewer than 1% of cases were reported to authorities.

Contrary to common assumptions, only 16% of perpetrators were complete strangers. In 57% of cases, the offender was already known to the victim — a friend, family member or romantic partner. Another 27% of respondents said they could not identify who was behind the abusive profile.

Meta platforms dominate the statistics

About 60% of incidents originated on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, all owned by Meta, followed by Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. Some 14% of respondents pointed to online gaming platforms, which typically include direct messaging features, as the setting for abuse.

The report follows Meta's recent out-of-court settlement in the US, under which the company agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion to several states and to limit teenagers to two hours of daily access on its platforms, with full blocking overnight.

UNICEF is urging governments and tech companies to build safer digital platforms, strengthen laws and close legal loopholes, and create trustworthy reporting and support systems for young people. The debate over age limits for social media is already underway in several countries: Australia introduced such a limit in December 2025, the UK's rule takes effect in 2027, and a similar French law has been blocked by the country's constitutional court.