United Nations warns of global emergency in child online safety

A new United Nations report has declared child online safety a global emergency, highlighting the rapid expansion of violence against children in digital environments. The findings, prepared by Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, warn that the world is failing to meet its 2030 targets for ending violence against children. With one in three internet users being a child, digital threats such as sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, hate speech, and misinformation have become widespread.

The report notes that over 300 million children fall victim to online sexual exploitation and abuse annually. Furthermore, at least 1.2 million children reported having their images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes using artificial intelligence within the last year.

Complementing these findings, data from the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) indicates an enforcement gap, noting that fewer than 50 percent of parents discuss online safety with their children. To mitigate risks like cybergrooming, the BSI recommends technical hardening, such as restricting geolocation permissions, disabling in-app purchases, and enforcing age ratings through mobile operating system controls.