News release

From: Springer Nature

Investigating online child exploitation and abuse

One in six internet-using children from a survey of nearly 12,000 children in 12 countries across Asia and Africa are found to experience at least one form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse, with many experiences undisclosed, according to research published in Nature. The findings may help to inform prevention and response efforts where coordinated action by policymakers, law enforcement and technology companies is urgently needed to protect children.

As digital access expands rapidly among children worldwide, understanding how it affects children’s exposure to online harms, such as sexual exploitation and abuse, has become increasingly urgent yet underexamined. Despite growing policy attention to online safety, evidence remains limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as those in parts of Africa and Asia, where most of the world’s children live.

Sakshi Ghai and colleagues analysed nationally representative self-reported survey data from 11,912 children aged 12–17 years across 12 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa and South-East Asia between 2020 and 2021. Data were collected under the Disrupting Harm project, a large-scale research initiative into technology-facilitated child sexual abuse. The authors found that one in six internet‑using children had experienced some form of technology‑facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse, equivalent to over 10 million children across the area surveyed. Examples included receiving unwanted sexual images, being pressured into sexual conversations, having private images shared without consent or being blackmailed online. Despite this scale, the children did not disclose 51% of the incidents. When they did, they tended to tell friends rather than use formal channels such as police or helplines. Older children were less likely to disclose, while supportive factors — such as parental mediation of online activity and awareness of where to seek help after harassment or assault — were linked to higher disclosure rates.

The findings highlight the need for future research that is culturally specific and examines how children disclose abuse through digital platforms and how companies respond, to better understand and support help‑seeking in online environments.