The prevalence of child sexual abuse and exploitation has intensified in the digital realm, with more than 300 million children estimated to be victims of online sexual abuse and exploitation each year, a UN special rapporteur said on Friday.

“Technologies offer a wide array of opportunities to protect and uphold children’s rights, but their rapid, evolving, and unprecedented capabilities present significant risks to children and expose them to harm,” said Mama Fatima Singhateh, special rapporteur on the Sale, Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse of Children, in her report to the General Assembly.

The report elaborates on how the misuse of existing and emerging technologies exacerbates and amplifies children’s exposure to risks, harm, and various forms of sexual exploitation and abuse.

“Existing technologies are misused to sexually harass, take and share non-consensual images and videos, generate child sexual abuse materials, sexually extort children, and livestream child sexual abuse,” Singhateh remarked.

“Emerging technologies such as deepfakes, nudifying, de-aging, artificial intelligence, embedded peer-to-peer file sharing, and voice cloning amplify and extend existing methods to exploit children and produce child sexual abuse materials,” the expert added. 

The report points out that without immediate action, this phenomenon will be further exacerbated by pre-existing inequalities, leading to additional violations of children’s rights, with a disproportionate impact on those from vulnerable and marginalised groups.

“The recently adopted Global Digital Compact reinforces our global commitment to make the online space safe for all, especially for children, through actions by governments, tech companies, and social media,” the Special Rapporteur stated.

“Governments must strengthen legal frameworks that punish those who misuse the digital environment to create, share, and distribute child sexual abuse materials, and establish a competent national mechanism to implement regulatory oversight,” Singhateh asserted.

“Technology companies must invest in age verification, child-friendly content moderation, and pathways for referral and support services. Compliance with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights must be a priority for these companies.”

The Special Rapporteur urged all stakeholders to ensure child participation in decision-making and technical standard-setting processes.