Kathmandu— According to a new report from the United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, up to 20 million children across 21 countries experience online sexual abuse or exploitation each year. The study surveyed approximately 21,000 internet-using children aged 12 to 17 between 2020 and 2025 in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. Social media platforms were found to facilitate more than half of these abuse cases.

Key Findings

The report revealed that over 15 million children were exposed to unwanted sexual content online, nine million were coerced into engaging in sexual conversations or sharing images against their will, and four million had their sexual images shared without consent. These experiences cause profound emotional and mental distress among the affected children.

Reporting Rates

Despite the prevalence of abuse, less than 1 percent of incidents are reported to authorities. Children often do not recognize abuse or fear repercussions if they report it. Nighat Dad from Pakistan’s Digital Rights Foundation emphasized that many children minimize their experiences or fail to identify them as abusive.

Impact on Mental Health

Children exposed to online sexual abuse are four times more likely to have suicidal thoughts and self-harm, along with higher levels of anxiety. In some countries like Mexico and North Macedonia, the risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors is over eight times higher among abused children.

Social Media Platforms' Response

Meta acknowledged that while its platforms have introduced protections such as defaulting teens into private accounts, the report does not provide specific evidence of abuse. Snapchat and TikTok did not respond to requests for comment on the findings.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.