A alarming new report from UNICEF has revealed that an estimated 20 million children between the ages of 12 and 17 — nearly one in five — have been subjected to technology-facilitated sexual abuse, highlighting a deepening global crisis that cuts across borders and income levels.
A Crisis Playing Out Across 21 Countries
The findings, drawn from research spanning 21 countries, paint a deeply troubling picture of how digital platforms and online connectivity have become tools of exploitation against children and adolescents. The scale of the problem is far larger than many governments and child protection agencies had previously acknowledged.
Technology-facilitated sexual abuse includes a range of harmful behaviours carried out through digital means, including the sharing of explicit images without consent, online grooming, sexual extortion, and the use of messaging platforms to manipulate or coerce minors into sexual activity.
Why This Matters for Sri Lanka
For Sri Lanka, where smartphone penetration and social media usage among teenagers has grown significantly in recent years, the findings carry particular weight. Young people across the island are increasingly connected to the internet through mobile devices, often with limited supervision or digital literacy education to help them recognise and avoid online threats.
Child protection advocates in the country have long warned that existing legal frameworks and law enforcement capabilities have struggled to keep pace with the rapidly evolving nature of online abuse.
UNICEF Calls for Urgent Action
UNICEF stressed that addressing this crisis requires a coordinated response involving governments, technology companies, schools, and families. Key recommendations include:
- Strengthening national laws to criminalise all forms of technology-facilitated child sexual abuse
- Holding social media platforms and technology companies accountable for enabling safer online environments
- Expanding digital literacy and online safety education within school curricula
- Providing accessible support services for child survivors of online abuse
- Training law enforcement personnel to effectively investigate and prosecute digital crimes against children
The internet should be a place of learning and opportunity for children — not a space where they are exposed to exploitation and harm.
The Role of Platforms and Parents
The report also places significant responsibility on technology companies, urging them to implement stronger safeguards, improve reporting mechanisms, and take proactive steps to detect and remove abusive content. At the same time, UNICEF emphasised that parents and caregivers play a critical role in maintaining open conversations with children about online safety and the risks they may encounter.
Experts note that shame and fear of stigma often prevent young victims from reporting abuse, making awareness campaigns and accessible helplines all the more essential in any national response strategy.
As digital access continues to expand across the developing world, child rights organisations are urging that investment in child online protection be treated not as optional, but as a fundamental component of national child welfare policy.
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20 million means the real number must be even higher no
goverment should block these sites, why are they sleeping
this is happening here too, parents dont even know what their kids do online
yes my cousin got a message like this last year, very scary