An estimated 1.5 million internet-using children in Pakistan experienced technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse in a single year, a study has found. The findings expose major gaps in reporting and protection as the United Nations warns of growing risks from artificial intelligence.
Nearly one in 16 internet users aged 12 to 17 experienced at least one form of such abuse. UNICEF, ECPAT International and INTERPOL published the findings in Disrupting Harm in Pakistan in September 2026.
Funded by Safe Online, the research included a household survey of 1,012 children and 1,012 parents or guardians. Researchers collected survey responses between February and November 2025 and examined professional testimony, legislation and policies.
Familiar perpetrators and unreported abuse
In 85% of incidents children described, they already knew the perpetrator. The finding challenges the widespread assumption that online abuse primarily involves strangers.
Social media accounted for 44% of reported instances, making it the most commonly identified digital setting.
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Abuse included unwanted sexual images or conversations, demands for intimate photographs and sharing children’s images without permission. Researchers also documented sexual threats, blackmail and emerging risks involving AI-generated material.
Children disclosed nothing to anyone in 57% of reported incidents. None of the surveyed children reported their experiences through formal channels such as helplines, social workers or police.
Fear, stigma and possible repercussions at home discouraged children from seeking help. They feared blame, humiliation or family restrictions. Boys face additional barriers because expectations around masculinity can discourage disclosure and leave their experiences overlooked.
UN warns technology is creating new dangers
Najat Maalla M’jid, the UN secretary general’s Special Representative on Violence Against Children, presented her final General Assembly report on Monday.
The presentation marked 20 years since the first UN global study on violence against children. She warned that overlapping crises following the Covid-19 pandemic continued to undermine progress.
“Almost 45 million children are displaced because of conflict, but also because of natural disasters, because of the climate crisis,” she told journalists in New York.
Although digital technology supports learning and communication, she warned that AI had opened “huge avenues for child sexual exploitation”. She also highlighted “cyberbullying, deepfakes and the recruitment of children into criminal activities.”
Protection gaps extend beyond digital platforms
The Pakistan study identifies weaknesses in prevention, investigations and survivor support. Legislation does not systematically require specially trained professionals to conduct children’s forensic interviews. Inappropriate questioning can consequently cause further trauma.
The findings call for safe, confidential reporting systems and accessible support without blame or punishment.
Read More: Why WHO Wants Tougher Social Media Rules for Children
Meanwhile, poverty, food insecurity and rising prices deepen children’s vulnerability. Conflict and disasters can disrupt education and weaken family support.
UNICEF estimates weather-related disasters displaced 15.6 million children across South Asia between 2016 and 2022. Climate-related events disrupted schooling for 35 million children in Bangladesh in 2024.
Those figures do not establish a direct link between displacement and online sexual abuse. However, they reinforce the need to maintain child-protection services during emergencies alongside stronger digital safeguards.
