UNICEF estimates 20 million children suffered online sexual abuse in one year
META•Social media platforms account for most reported abuse
The research, which UNICEF described as one of the largest studies of its kind, was based on national representative surveys collected between 2020 and 2025 of around 21,000 internet-using children in the 21 countries, which included Kenya, Pakistan, Brazil and Serbia.
Almost 60% of reported abuse occurred on social media platforms, led by Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, while 14% took place in online gaming, the report found.
A spokesperson for Meta META.O, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, said the surveys go as far back as 2020, before the company introduced protections UNICEF recommends such as automatically defaulting teens into private accounts and preventing adults from messaging teens they are not connected to. It added that it defines WhatsApp as a private messaging app and not a social media platform.
"While the report doesn't provide any specific evidence of abuse, we'll continue to fight child exploitation aggressively across our apps and support law enforcement in prosecuting the criminals behind it," the Meta spokesperson said.
